Tied to You
by Screaming Faeries
Summary: Caroline Forbes lives in New York City. Unforeseen circumstances cause her to lose her job at a high end fashion magazine - and somehow she ends up working for the eligible bachelor, Klaus Mikaelson. She is turned upside down as she is thrown into a whole new world, and struggles to find out where her relationship with Klaus lies. Drug use (in one chap), smut, swearing, OCs.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

"Come on, Caroline!" called Caroline Forbes' boss, Rebekah Mikaelson. They were, as usual, late and running down Vanderbilt Avenue. The cab driver hadn't been able to get all the way to the Biltmore Estate mansions, due to the sheer amount of cars that were parked along the street. "Bloody hell, I hate Brooklyn," Rebekah muttered, as they reached the grand entrance to the mansion at the end of the street. She strolled past the guards, and Caroline tottered after her, shaking out her windswept hair. "I don't know why on earth my parents decided to set up home here, when they had the whole of Queens to choose from."

Caroline tittered out the laugh that she reserved specially for Rebekah's frivolous little comments. She hadn't really wanted to come along to this party with Rebekah – it was girls' night with Elena and Bonnie, but she didn't really have much choice. Rebekah loved hanging Caroline's job on the line if she so much as disagreed with anything she said.

Rebekah Mikaelson was the woman that every girl in New York wanted to be. She managed the biggest fashion magazine company in America, titled Magnifique, which had only been established for the last three years, but had already taken over popular titles such as Vogue. People loved Rebekah's no-nonsense approach to fashion, celebrities, and every other aspect that she chose to run articles about. And it was Caroline Forbes who had been lucky enough to land an interview with Rebekah just short of six months ago, and gained a job of second assistant.

The second assistant apparently wasn't as good as the first assistant. The first assistant was called Nadia, and was a tall, tan woman with legs up to Caroline's neck. She was originally from Europe, and won people over with her sultry accent and her round, amber eyes. Of course, Nadia was already at the lavish party that they were attending – she had got there early, with the intent of meeting and greeting all of the guests who would be awaiting Rebekah's arrival. Being the only daughter of the Mikaelson family and running her own company at the age of twenty three, she definitely piqued the interest of most New Yorkers.

Of course, Rebekah didn't just walk into her fame and glory, as much as she would like people to believe. Since working for her, Caroline discovered that all of her family were lucky in that respect. Her parents were descended from royalty in England, according to Nadia, and they had given their children everything. All of the Mikaelsons had been put through expensive boarding schools in Britain, and were handed hefty trust funds when they turned eighteen.

Rebekah chose to use hers to establish her magazine. Finn, the oldest of her brothers, had a lot of assistance from his wife Sage with his trust fund. Together they had set up a wedding planning company. Finn dealt with planning receptions and leading the show, while Sage spent her time with the brides. Elijah and Niklaus had gone into business together, establishing an investment firm that was situated in the centre of Manhattan. Elijah did most of the hard work, running offices and such, whereas Niklaus seemed to have the more lavish lifestyle. Caroline didn't know anything about investments or finance, but she didn't think Niklaus Mikaelson did either. He seemed to spend his life at premieres and balls, whereas Elijah was always nowhere to be seen. The youngest brother, Kol, had spent his trust fun on a different source, and it was always something Rebekah was complaining about.

As they stepped over the threshold of the Mikaelson's enormous, lavish mansion, Rebekah was the first one to question Kol's whereabouts. "I don't think he'll be here, of course. What a waste of our parent's money, taking a trip around the world. I've been around the globe twice since I started Magnifique. He should have waited a little while, and done something more productive. As soon as that money runs out, he'll run straight back to Mum and Dad…" Rebekah's voice tailed off as she handed her shawl to one of the butlers that were walking by. "How do I look, Caroline?" she asked, looking at Caroline pointedly.

As much as her boss wound Caroline up on a daily basis, she couldn't deny that Rebekah scrubbed up well. She was wearing a shimmering floor length Versace dress, made from a sparkling nude-pink chiffon material, decorated with sequins and glitter. It was sleeveless, with a silky bodice, and the dress clung to her figure, right down to below her knees, where the dress sprang out, in mermaid fashion. Her pale blonde hair was curled to the side, and her pouty face was made up immaculately. "You look great, Rebekah," Caroline assured her. She immediately began to feel self-conscious about her insignificant attire.

Due to living in a central apartment with Elena, most of her wages were drawn out immediately. She spent most of her remaining money trying to dress appropriately – or, expensively – for work, as the competition in the office among the other women was just as onerous as it was if they were out on the town. So, when Rebekah had landed this party on Caroline just two days earlier, she really didn't have enough money to and buy a new, expensive dress. She had to scour the downtown boutiques last minute, and came out with a dress that Elena insisted was 'cute'. It was a cotton blue affair with strappy sleeves, the length of which only came down to her knees. She had accessorised with a nude clutch and a pair of Elena's shoes, and had thought she looked pretty good – but now, around all these other women who were dolled up to the nines in ball gowns she felt pretty minimal. Inwardly, she cursed Rebekah for not giving her an adequate dress code.

Rebekah shot Caroline a toothy smile. "Remember, you're not here to have fun. I know this is an out-of-work event, but you're still here as my assistant. So speak to the guests, and answer whatever questions they have about the magazine. Feel free to have a dance and enjoy the buffet, but keep your BlackBerry on vibrate if I need you," she told her, and then sauntered off towards the far end of the ballroom, where Caroline assumed her family would be.

Caroline sighed, and took her work phone from her pocket, setting it to vibrate mode. Frankly, she didn't know why Rebekah had insisted she come along, when Nadia was here. As if on cue, Nadia floated towards her from a thick throng of men in tuxedos. As expected, the first assistant was dressed head to toe in an effortless black number, wearing a string of pearls around her neck. "Caroline, darling," she greeted in her drawling accent, and leaned forward, offering her an airy kiss on the cheek. "You look…" she backed up, her golden brown eyes scanning her up and down. "…adorable!"

It wasn't really the look Caroline had been going for, but she smiled back at Nadia anyway. "Thanks! You look amazing too."

"Thank you, darling," Nadia did a quick turn in her dress. "It's Prada," she lowered her voice. "Don't tell anyone, but it's a next season number. Mother is good friends with Miuccia – they spent time in Venice together."

Caroline's smile began to strain. Of course, Nadia's mother was friends with one of the most famous designers in the world. "That's…really great!" suddenly, Caroline's BlackBerry started buzzing, and she stepped back. "Excuse me," she stepped away from Nadia, and checked the BlackBerry.

'BRING MY SHAWL TO THE BALCONY,' read the instructive message. Caroline rolled her eyes, and sought out the cloakroom, where the butler had placed Rebekah's thin shawl on a coat stand by itself. She grabbed the shawl, folding the thin material neatly in her hands, and then wandered back out into the ballroom, searching for the balcony.

As she headed there, she had a chance to take a look around the mansion. It really was a beautiful building; with a tiled, shiny floor, and magnificent chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. There were tapestries and enormous, ceiling-to-floor painting with gold plated frames marking the walls. Caroline was nervous of where to step; she had never been in such a beautiful building before.

When she found the balcony, she blanched. Rebekah was stood with her brothers, Niklaus and Kol. She recognised Kol as the only one who was dressed more casually than her, choosing not to wear a tie or a blazer, and was dressed in a Hawaiian style floral shirt, which was certainly an eyesore. He was extremely tanned, and his dark hair had lighter flecks in it, so Caroline assumed he must have paused his world tour to come back to his parents' soiree.

Caroline was most shocked by Niklaus' appearance. She had never seen him in person; he was someone who remained confined to the television, or the pages of the glossy magazines that Elena left on the coffee table. Famous people were meant to stay in those places – not wander the streets. He appeared to make some kind of effort in his attire, wearing a charcoal grey suit with a maroon red shirt, but he had the top buttons of his shirt undone, exposing a scattering of light hair across his chest. He was tall, but not as tall as Rebekah in her six inch Louboutins, and he had bright, blue eyes and short, thick, dark blonde hair. Caroline had never thought much of Niklaus Mikaelson when she saw him in person, but seeing him in all his attractive splendour, she felt as though every nerve in her body was alight.

She shook herself off, and stepped towards the small group confidently. Rebekah was in deep conversation with her two brothers, but she turned around when Caroline cleared her throat. "Thank you," she told her dismissively, taking the shawl out of Caroline's hands, and wrapping it around her shoulders. She turned her back on Caroline almost immediately, as if to let her know that her presence wasn't necessary anymore. Tactfully, Caroline stepped away quietly, secretly glad that she didn't have to try and make conversation with the prestigious celebrity.

"Wait," a smooth, British voice spoke, just as Caroline reached the doors. She turned around slowly, and became aware that all three of the Mikaelsons were looking at her. Rebekah looked mildly irritated, Kol looked amused, and Niklaus was wearing an interested half-smile. "Aren't you going to introduce us, little sister?"

Caroline groaned inwardly, wishing she could just run back to the party. But somehow, she found her feet walking her back to the three siblings. "Of course, Nik," Rebekah replied, stiffly. Caroline knew just how much Rebekah hated to be interrupted, and she was automatically taking this out on Caroline. She hated upsetting her boss, because it never ended well. Rebekah was hard to please, but Caroline did her best. "This is Caroline. She's a new addition to the company; one of my assistants. Caroline, this is my brother Kol, and my brother Niklaus."

Kol opened his mouth to speak, but Niklaus got there first. He stuck out his hand to Caroline. "Pleasure to meet you. Call me Klaus," he greeted in a low voice, his eyes boring into her. She took his hand tentatively, and shook it. Straight after, she offered her hand to Kol too.

"Nice to meet you, Mr's Mikaelson," she said to both of them, and then looked at Rebekah expectantly. Her mouth was a straight line, staring down at Caroline.

"Shouldn't you be along now, Caroline," she hinted expressively. Caroline nodded, and offered both the brothers a smile, before rushing away from the balcony before she could be stopped again.

When she reached the ballroom again, she swiftly snatched a tall glass of champagne from one of the trays the butlers were carrying around. She wasn't supposed to be drinking on the job, but due to the heat that Klaus had brought to her cheeks; she needed one. She downed the pink champagne almost immediately, and placed the glass atop of a nearby table.

Most of the guests of the party were dancing, or sitting at the white-clothed tables, nibbling on caviar and taking small mouthfuls of their Foie Gras. When Rebekah said buffett, Caroline ridiculously had expected sausage rolls and cheese sandwiches, not this expensive luxury food that Caroline definitely wouldn't be entertaining. She turned her nose away when a butler came forward with a tray of unusual looking chocolate truffles, which were dotted with suspicious black berries.

"I don't blame you," the voice behind her made her jump, and she dropped her clutch bag in shock. It was Kol – he leaned down and picked up her bag, handing it to her.

"Thanks," Caroline replied, tucking it back under her arm.

"My apologies for startling you," Kol told her, smiling. Caroline realised he was quite young, probably the same age as Elena's brother Jeremy. He immediately began engaging her in conversation about his dislike of the foreign foods, and his wish that his mother had organised something a little tastier for dinner.

"Aren't you supposed to be travelling around the world?" Caroline asked suddenly. She was glad that someone was talking to her, even if it was her boss' little brother. "I mean, don't you come across this sort of food all the time?"

He grinned. "The beauty of the globe, Caroline: everyone wants to taste American food. I'm never far from a McDonalds, even in the Alps."

Caroline laughed. Kol was funny – she didn't really know why Rebekah chose to complain about him all the time. As if on cue, she spotted her boss atop of an inward facing balcony on the upper level of the ballroom. She was with an older woman, who Caroline could only assume was her mother, and she was staring intently at Caroline. Rebekah had insisted that Caroline talk to the guests that would be asking questions about the magazine, not fraternizing with her brothers.

Taking the hint, Caroline excused herself from Kol, and ushered herself into the party. So far, no one had asked her a single question about Rebekah, and if her presence turned out to be pointless, Caroline knew that she would pay for it at work tomorrow.

However, just as she reached a large throng of people, there was the sound of coughing into a microphone. The party looked up, towards the balcony where Rebekah had previously been stood, at the woman that she had been talking to. It was definitely Rebekah's mother – she was dressed in a velvet, navy blue gown, and had her auburn hair fastened neatly on top of her head. "Welcome, everyone," she said huskily into the microphone. "I'm sorry to interrupt your engagements, but could you all step into onto the dancefloor and take the arm of a lady – as we are going to commence the first dance."

As the gaggle of people around her began to partner up, Caroline ushered back. None of the middle aged men in this room appeared single, and Caroline didn't want to irate Rebekah any more than necessary by choosing one of her brothers as a partner. However, it turned out that she didn't have much choice in the matter – Kol had spotted her across the room, and was striding towards her.

He didn't get far. Caroline was forcing a smile, preparing to give him an apologetic excuse – but then Klaus stepped in front of her. His left hand fell to her waist, and his right one caught her free hand before she could react. "Mr Mikaelson," she stated quickly. He smiled his seductive smile at her, and Caroline felt her stomach flutter.

The music started immediately – a tinkling piano music that filled the room, and everyone began to dance. Klaus led her around the ballroom expertly, his eyes never leaving hers. Caroline became aware that she was suddenly under the attention of most people in the room – especially the women, who were offering her snide, jealous looks whenever they passed. "Isn't there someone else you could have danced with, Mr Mikaelson?" Caroline asked in a quiet voice, as he pulled her forwards so that her head was by his shoulder.

"Nobody else piqued my interest, love," he replied, twirling her around.

"You have the interest of a lot of other women here," she stated in response, as Nadia was spun past by a tall, dark-skinned gentleman. She shot Caroline an appalled, yet utterly envious glare as she was swept away. Klaus simply chuckled.

"My brother is quite smitten by you already, Caroline," he told her.

Caroline looked around the room, and spotted Kol. He hadn't managed to find a dance partner, evidently, and was sitting alone in one of the seats against the wall. Caroline bit her lip, feeling a little bad – but it wasn't her fault. "Your brother was coming over to dance with me."

"I know," Klaus replied. He lowered his head, so that it was aligned with her ear. "But I always get what I want." His breath was hot on her skin, and Caroline felt shivers running down her spine. She pulled back as the music ended, and turned away, feeling her skin burning red.

She needed to find somewhere quiet to hide out, just for a little while. Klaus was making her uncomfortable, with his intense stares and his seductive little comments – and she didn't want Rebekah to be angry with her. She hadn't greeted a single other guest yet, and she knew that Rebekah would be watching. But for now, Caroline just needed to take a breather.

Knowing that the balcony would be empty, she hurried up there, and closed the doors behind her. She stepped over to the edge, breathing in the fresh, night air, and admiring the balcony view over the posh townhouse apartments on Park Avenue. Her brief getaway wasn't much, as she was soon followed by Klaus.

He opened the balcony doors quietly, and wandered over to where she stood. She groaned inwardly as he appeared behind her, and turned her head to face him. "Shouldn't you be at the party?"

"Shouldn't you?" he shot back. "I'm sure Rebekah will be annoyed if you don't stay in there."

"Rebekah will only be annoyed if I keep getting caught with her brothers, Mr Mikaelson."

Klaus offered a small laugh. "Poor Rebekah. She just can't stand the attention you're getting. You see…being the only daughter of our family, she's always been the apple of most eyes. She won't be enjoying the fact that we are all so interested in her little assistant."

"All the more reason for you to steer clear," Caroline replied in a falsetto sweet voice, and made to abandon the balcony. Before she could, Klaus reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.

"You mistake me for someone who cares what my bratty little sister thinks, Caroline," responded Klaus, with a tiny smirk.

"Well I do," Caroline worried that she was starting to sound aggravated – the last thing she wanted was for people to know that one of the assistants at Magnifique had the nerve to talk rudely to Niklaus Mikaelson. "There's hundreds of other girls running around New York who would love to have my job; if I upset Rebekah, she'll drop me instantly."

Klaus still didn't look perturbed. He gave Caroline's arm a gentle yank, pulling her back to the balcony. "Now stop running away – I just want to talk to you, Caroline."

She couldn't withhold her irritation anymore. She had an apartment to uphold one half of. She liked her job – as condescending as Rebekah could be, sometimes. And the more Klaus continued to hassle her, the more likely it would be that she would anger Rebekah. "Why?" she begged to know, her voice rising. "There are a hundred girls in that ballroom that are desperate to talk to you – can't you see that? Or is your ego so enormous that you can't bear the fact that one girl doesn't want to be around you?" she clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as she had said it, but Klaus didn't look angry. Instead, his smirk had simply widened. He reached out both hands, and cupped her face, causing her to flinch.

"This might be my ego talking, but I've had girls like that running after me since I came into the spotlight," he drawled. "So you may be right – there's something quite interesting about the pretty blonde assistant who keeps trying to run away from me." When he finished speaking, he didn't let go of her face. Caroline could feel the heat coming from his fingertips, and his breath on her face – she hadn't realised how close they were to each other, until she found herself staring at his lips.

It seemed almost natural for them to be moving closer, until the tips of their noses collided, and they were just a breath away from pressing their lips together.

"Caroline, a word," a shrill voice sounded from the doorway. Caroline sprang back from Klaus, embarrassment flooding her face, and hurried towards the intruder. It was Rebekah, and she did not look impressed. She glared at Klaus pointedly, until he tactfully removed himself from the balcony.

"Rebekah," Caroline started. "I'm sorry, that's not what it looked like—"

"—not interested," Rebekah responded breezily. "Collect your things tomorrow. You're fired. Effective…ah yes, immediately." Without further ado, Rebekah made to leave the balcony, striding past her brother.

Caroline stared after her in shock. "No…no, no, no…" she turned back to the balcony, and found herself clinging to her hair. What was she going to do now? Elena couldn't afford the rent on her own. Oh God, they would have to go back into shared accommodation. "Oh…no…" she gasped, feeling sick. There was no way she would be able to get a job so quickly.

"Caroline?"

The last person she wanted to see right now was Klaus. She spun around on her heel, uncaring what he thought of her, now. "This is your fault!" she hissed at him, tears springing to her eyes. Klaus stepped towards her, holding up his palms.

"What happened, love?"

"She fired me! I told you!" Caroline turned back to the balcony and recommenced pulling out her hair in frustration.

"Fired…oh, she is pedantic," muttered Klaus. "Caroline, I'll fix this," he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him hopefully.

"Will you talk to her?"

"No," Klaus tried to resist a smirk. "I have a better idea."

Caroline eyed him suspiciously.

"How about you come and work for me? I will increase the wage that Rebekah was paying you by forty percent, and I can guarantee the stresses of working at Magnifique will be lessened."

"I don't understand," replied Caroline.

"You're an assistant, aren't you?" Caroline nodded. "Well, I've been contemplating getting a personal assistant for some time."

* * *

As hailed a cab after the party, and set off home, she couldn't help but feel extremely confused. How many people walk into an event and manage to lose their job, and then gain a new one – all in less than fifteen minutes?


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Three days later, Caroline stood awkwardly in front of the mirror, in her smartest dress suit, which also happened to be the most expensive suit she owned, having cost her almost two months wages. It was a knee-length, black pinstripe skirt with a matching blazer, and she was wearing a crisp white shirt underneath.

She frowned at her reflection. "Are you sure I look okay?" she asked Elena, who was sprawled out on Caroline's butterfly patterned duvet, flicking through a magazine.

"You look fine, I told you a hundred times."

"Yes, but do I look posh-investment-company fine?"

Elena sat up on the bed, and threw a cushion in Caroline's direction. She ducked, and the cushion hit the window. Caroline wandered over to the window and picked up the cushion. As she looked out of the window, she sighed. She hated living in the Bronx – mainly because of the journey she had to take to get to Manhattan for work. She had to walk straight down Webster Avenue to get to Melrose to catch the subway, and Webster Avenue meant going past the horrible, grey apartment building that was run by the state, and housed all of New Yorks jobless jerks. They often catcalled at Caroline and other women as they walked past – which wasn't a problem during the day. It was the evening when Caroline worried – there was a reason the Bronx had such a bad reputation.

Elena seemed to read her mind. "I can walk to Melrose and meet you when you finish, Caroline. I'll be coming from Brooklyn, so I can meet you there and we'll walk back."

Caroline turned to her friend and smiled. "Thanks, Elena."

* * *

Less than an hour later, Caroline had caught the subway and found herself standing outside the doors of an intimidating high rise building on the Finance District. She was extremely daunted by the task of wandering into Klaus' company, but she had no other choice. Thanks to him, she had lost her job - and it was up to him to give her a new chance.

So, she straightened up her back, and stalked confidently into the building. She signed in with the lady on reception, and then stepped into the elevator. The office she needed to be in was on the top floor, so she tapped the penthouse symbol impatiently.

Just as the doors were closing, an arm shot through, prising them open. Much to her discomfort, Klaus forced his way into the elevator. Once the doors closed, he shot his trademark lazy smirk in her direction. "Caroline," he greeted.

"Mr Mikaelson," she replied, slightly meekly.

"Caroline, we're going to be working together everyday for the foreseeable future. You're going to have to start calling me Klaus," he returned, but there was a hint of humour in his voice. Caroline offered him a small smile back, but it was strained. In the small, confined space of the elevator, she felt extremely nervous beside him.

When the doors finally reopened, Caroline let out a sigh of relief. Klaus strode out of the office, and beckoned for Caroline to follow him.

The office was enormous, but Caroline was glad to discover that it wasn't the same as Rebekah's had been. Rebekah had valued everything pristine and white and she deliberately picked out employees who were typically attractive. Klaus' office was much more homely - the employees sitting around were chatty and dressed smart-casual, and the walls were covered with various charts and graphs, but Caroline was relieved not to feel as apprehensive as she usually did around Rebekah's employees.

There were about three people sat in the foyer of the elevator, but Klaus led her around a corner. There was a desk on it's own, facing a wide glass wall that looked into what Caroline could only assume was Klaus and Elijah's office.

"I've had this little area set out for you," Klaus gestured his hand across the empty desk. "You can bring in your own things and such. That telephone on the desk is set to accept my calls, so you will answer them first and then forward them to me if they're necessary. Now, come into my office and I'll discuss a few other things with you…" Klaus marched over to the door that led into his office, and held it open for Caroline. She ushered in, and waited for Klaus to sit down on one of the desks. She stood in front of him patiently, while he reached into drawers and pulled out a few things.

"This is my planner," he told her, handing her an a5 leather filofax. "It has my day-to-view inside, and I'll expect you to add and cancel any arrangements that happen in there. I'll need you to arrange any meetings, plus provide condiments for those. Elijah may also ask you to do a few things for him, but don't let any of the others in the office tell you what to do," there was a brief, possessive glint in his eye. "You might be the newbie of the office, love, but you're my assistant," he reached back into the drawer and handed her a smaller planner. "This is my personal planner, I'll expect you to list only my personal arrangements in there, and this is your work phone," he placed a brand new BlackBerry on top of the planners. "It's set up to accept my emails as well as your own. Now, are you taking this in, Caroline? You look a little distant."

Caroline blinked. She was taking in all of the responsibilities that Klaus expected her to perform, and frankly she was daunted. "Of course," she replied, trying to juggle her handbag into a comfortable position alongside the pile of items he had handed her.

Klaus leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "What did you do for my little sister, love?"

"Picked up coffee, mostly. Occasionally I answered the phone. Oh, and not to mention going to her events with her. I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Nadia - the first assistant - she did most of the work. I was just the back up."

One of his eyebrows lifted slowly. "Are you sure you'll be able to manage this?"

Caroline straightened her back, trying not to look offended. "Of course! I juggled college as well as three other committees two years ago!" she shot back, defensively. Klaus simply smiled, and nodded through the glass to her desk.

"How about you put your things down, and go meet your new workmates," Klaus dismissed, and then spun around in the black leather chair he was inhabiting, and looked out of the window.

Caroline stepped out of his office, and placed her things on the shiny wooden desk in her area. Once she had taken off her blazer in a radical attempt to try and make her outfit a little more casual, she wandered back into the foyer, where three other desks were. Two of the employees had already dashed off, but a smiling woman with long, dark blonde hair was sitting at her desk, folding some documents into envelopes. When she sensed Caroline's presence, she smiled up at her brightly.

"Hey! Come over, sit down," she insisted, and pulled one of the chairs from the other desk across to her. Caroline sat down tentatively, and offered her new workmate a smile. "I'm Lexi Branson," she said to Caroline. "Help me with these, and we'll have a chat."

Before Caroline could respond, Lexi had halved her pile of envelopes and documents, and dumped a section of them on Caroline. She opened her mouth, remembering what Klaus had told her about only accepting jobs from him, but she closed it again. She needed to build bridges with the people in this office, and it was only a couple of envelopes. So, she buttoned her lip, and started folding documents into the envelopes, the same way that Lexi did.

"I'm Caroline Forbes," she told her politely. They soon got chatting, and Caroline discovered that she had quite a lot in common, and Lexi was extremely easy to talk to. It wasn't long before they were laughing, while Lexi joked around and told Caroline about the other employees.

"You don't have anything to worry about here," Lexi promised. "There's honestly nothing to be nervous about. There's me – and I'm harmless," Lexi gave Caroline a jokey nudge. "Logan Fell is a bit of a jackass, but he spends half of his time that far up Elijah's back end he probably won't give you any trouble, and Kol is just an intern."

"Kol?" Caroline flashed back to the soiree she had been at just a few days earlier, where she had met the younger Mikaelson brother. "Kol Mikaelson?"

"The very same," Lexi replied.

"I thought he was travelling the world," Caroline had assumed that Kol would just jump straight on a plane to the Middle East after the party.

Lexi lowered her voice. "Apparently he's low on cash, so his big brothers have offered to help him out. But let's save this conversation for an out of work event," she muttered, nodding in the general direction of Klaus' office. "Speaking of which – a bunch of us are going for drinks after work today, if you want to join? There'll be a few of my other friends there, too."

"Sure!" Caroline replied, enthusiastically – until she remembered that Elena was meeting her at Melrose. "Oh, actually…I made an arrangement with my roomie, so tonight won't really be a great idea."

Lexi made a scoffing noise, but offered Caroline an apologetic smile. "Oh well. Next time, yeah?" she questioned. Caroline nodded.

"Definitely next time," she answered, smiling brightly. She folded the last document into an envelope, and then stood up from the desk, saying a brief goodbye to Lexi before heading back to her own area.

* * *

As Caroline watched the clock ticking slowly towards five p.m, she couldn't help but smile. Her first day at Klaus' firm had gone perfectly. She had made a new friend in Lexi, managed to get Klaus and Elijah's lunch orders right, and had organised Klaus' personal and professional planners for the next two weeks. Everything was looking positive – and nothing had gone wrong.

As she leaned back in her seat, smiling at the organisation she had created in Klaus' diaries, she looked forward to getting back home and telling Elena all about her first day.

When the clock finally struck five, she stood up and pulled her blazer on, and picked up her work phone and the planners. Before she dashed off, she looked through the glass at Klaus, who was still working on something at his desk.

He looked up at her almost immediately, catching her eye. Caroline felt herself flush instantly, and quickly conjured up a smile, before she started to wander out of the office. She barely managed to get to the elevator, however, before he was calling her. "Caroline!" he shouted through the empty office.

Caroline turned around as she reached the elevator, and looked at Klaus questioningly. "Yes?"

"Where are you going?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Erm…home? It's five."

"I'm taking you home," he said dismissively. "Let me get my coat."

"Oh…" Caroline shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, as she watched Klaus rush back through the office. "It's really not necessary!" she shouted after him. "I have a week pass for the subway, so..."

"Not at all," Klaus replied, as he returned with his coat slung over his shoulder. "Winter makes the afternoons dark, Caroline, and New York is a dangerous place in the dark," he said this with a strange smirk on his face, as he leaned over Caroline and pressed the elevator button.

When they were down the elevator and out into the street, Klaus led her over to a sleek, black streetcar that was waiting for him on the sidewalk. She noticed that there was a woman stood by the car, holding a camera to her face, and Caroline raised her eyebrows. Klaus was only stepping out of work – did he really need paparazzi right this moment?

He was apparently oblivious, however, as he opened the car door for Caroline. She tried one more getaway attempt. "Look, Mr Mikaelson," she started.

"Klaus," he corrected her.

"Klaus. It's not that I don't appreciate your offer – I really do – but I live all the way out in the Bronx. Plus I'm meeting a friend at Melrose from there, so she'll be waiting for me. Honestly, thank you, but…"

"Get in the car, Caroline," Klaus insisted. "You can call your friend and tell her to meet you at home instead, I'm sure she won't mind. Now hurry up – she isn't going to stop taking photos," Klaus nodded towards the photographer. Caroline groaned inwardly, and gave in, climbing into the car. Klaus slid into the back seat beside her, and nodded at the driver in the rear-view mirror. "Where are we going, Caroline?"

"East 176th Street," Caroline replied. "It's just off Webster Avenue."

Klaus raised his eyebrow. "That's no place for a lady like you to be living, Caroline," he told her. Caroline shot him a defensive look as the car lurched out into the street – she hadn't yet fastened her seatbelt, and she gave a small scream as she was plunged sideways into Klaus. He caught her quickly, and pulled her to a sitting up position. Caroline suddenly found herself looking at Klaus' soft lower lip, and was reminded of their almost-kiss at the soiree.

But she pulled back quickly, feeling flushed. "Thanks," she muttered quickly, but Klaus didn't leave it there. As the car hurtled on towards the Bronx, he leaned across her. She became aware of his weight on her body, the warmth that came off him, as he reached around for her seatbelt, and clipped her in. When he retreated to his own seat, she released a breath that she didn't realise she'd been holding. "I could've done that myself," she told him.

"No harm done," Klaus replied with a smirk.

The car journey home was torture. After Caroline had telephoned Elena to let her know she wouldn't be meeting her at Melrose, she didn't really know what to do with herself. She was constantly worried of her legs brushing Klaus', or her hand touching his by mistake, and she desperately didn't want to make awkward eye contact with him. For the first time in her life, she was glad to see the litter-strewn Webster Avenue, and relieved when the driver pulled up outside her apartment.

Quickly, she unstrapped her seatbelt and made to get out of the car, but Klaus' fingers closed around her wrist. She glanced at him questioningly. "You did really well today, love," he told her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Caroline couldn't help but give him a dazzling smile. She wasn't used to receiving praise for her work – Rebekah barely glanced at her during her time at Magnifique. She thanked Klaus and collected up her bag, and then closed the car door behind her, using her hip. When she staggered into the apartment, she noticed that the car didn't drive away until Caroline was safely in her apartment.

As soon as the door opened, Elena was on her. She was already dressed in her pyjamas, and Caroline could smell coffee coming from the Tassimo. She snatched Caroline's bag from her arms, and threw it over the coat stand. "Who was that?" she exclaimed excitedly, pulling Caroline into the kitchen by her arms.

"My boss," Caroline replied.

"Your boss just happened to give you a lift home all the way to Manhattan?" Elena raised her neat, dark eyebrows. "He's _clearly _crushing on you."

Caroline scoffed, and took a seat in the living room. "I don't think so. You should see his personal planner. He has four dates with four different women over three days this week."

"So he's a womanizer," Elena responded, bringing a coffee over to Caroline. "That doesn't mean he's not the love of your life."

Caroline glared at Elena. "Don't be ridiculous. He's my boss. Now shut up about Klaus – let me tell you about my day!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: **So, after a particularly rude guest review I read, I feel like I need to stress this: **I have not** yet read _any _other Klaroline fanfiction on this website aside from "Nights I Can't Remember" by lonelywinter (which I am currently in the middle of reading, and which is nothing like this story). Not that I am required to explain myself, but I took the idea of workplace!AU from an external website which listed 100 different AUs to try, and this is where I got the idea from. Any similarities to other stories are purely coincidental – I can understand that this AU is a popular one, though – and there's only so many different ways it can be run.

Another thing – I don't take flames lightly. If you're going to give me a rude review, have the backbone _to not _hide behind a guest review. Thanks dolls!

**A.N (2): **The rating is going up to M from now. There is involvement with Kol going to happen (not necessarily romantic) so if you're strictly Klaroline only I'd try and have some diversity ;)

* * *

_Chapter Three_

The weeks were slowly dragging on, and Caroline was really enjoying her new job. Everything was simple and repetitive – as much as the work was more difficult than what Rebekah had for her, it was _fun_. Rebekah had her acting like a slave – running around and picking up various items of dry cleaning, plus sending her out last minute to the stores on Fifth to grab a bag of skirts from Marc Jacobs for an impromptu fashion shoot. Caroline hadn't just been Rebekah's assistant, she had also been Nadia's personal lapdog. While Nadia got to swan to premieres and important events with Rebekah, not to mention getting to go along with her to London, Milan, Paris and Rome for fashion weeks, Caroline was left behind, red-faced and picking up the pieces.

Working for Klaus and Elijah was much different. They were a fast-paced pair, and Caroline had to stay on her toes to keep up. But she was smart, and she learned fast. While she didn't really have a clue about investments or finance (Math had never been her strong suit), she _was _good at organisation. Three weeks down the line, and she had managed to have both Klaus and Elijah's work and personal lives in check, and she hadn't even originally been branded as an assistant to Elijah. She had made a great friend of Lexi – and today was _finally _the day that she'd agreed to go for drinks with her.

When Caroline sauntered into the office with a Styrofoam tray holding two cups, she sent a beaming smile at Lexi. She was sitting back at her desk, filing her nails before the day officially started.

"Tea for our bosses?" she commented, with a wink.

"Seriously – I wish they would buy tea and make it here," Caroline muttered with a grin. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get hold of Taylors of Harrogate _English Breakfast _tea? None of the food stalls on the street sell it."

"I don't know anyone who can drink tea on a morning," sighed Lexi. Caroline grinned, and sashayed past her desk, into her office. After placing her bag on her chair, she stepped into Klaus and Elijah's office with their drinks.

Klaus wasn't here yet, but Elijah was sitting in his high backed desk chair, reading the Business and Finance section of the _New York Times_. He placed the newspaper down upon her arrival, and folded it neatly. "Thank you, Caroline," he thanked politely, and stood up to take the Styrofoam tray from her hands. Caroline smiled, and bowed her head as she stepped out of the office. Of all the Mikaelsons that Caroline had met, she felt the most intimidated by Elijah. He was nice enough, and was always polite to Caroline, but he was nothing like Klaus and Kol. He was tall and dignified, and was the only member of the office to arrive every morning, half an hour before the day started, wearing a full suit and tie. Klaus often arrived in shirts and blazers, but he _rarely _wore a tie, unless they were going to a meeting, and Caroline usually had to offer him a reminder to tuck in his shirt, as it was something Elijah constantly called him out on. He was the brains behind the company, he worked with numbers and shares and the stock market, while Klaus maintained clientele. Each of them had their own particular area of business, and that's why they worked so well together.

Caroline liked Elijah, but she struggled to talk to him. Klaus, on the other hand – as uncomfortable as she made him feel, they had developed a healthy work rapport. Caroline could pull together his work schedule, and they could still pass the occasional joke between one another – but she was sure she would _never _be able to have a joke with Elijah.

She sat down at her desk and flipped through Klaus' two planners until she found the current week, and she ran her finger down to today. With a small sigh, she leaned back in her chair – today was going to be a particularly busy one. Klaus was to be present in two meetings during the morning, and he was hosting a seminar in the afternoon. Then he had a date with a woman called Rose at eight. Caroline chewed her lip as she checked the time of the first meeting – it started at nine, and it was already ten to. Klaus still hadn't arrived.

As she picked up her work phone and started to dial his number, Kol strolled into her office, with a smile on his face. Caroline smiled back, automatically – she couldn't deny that over the last few weeks she'd started to become more comfortable around Kol. He had a great deal of interesting stories to tell her, he made her laugh, and his bubbly presence generally made the office a little less drab.

"Calling Klaus?" Kol asked. Caroline nodded. "I wouldn't bother – he's not going to be in today."

"Oh…" Caroline's face fell, wondering why he hadn't thought to call her. After all, she was the one who managed his week-to-week schedule, and she was the one that would have to greet the other businessmen that would be waiting to be shown into the boardroom for the first meeting. She quickly jumped to her feet, and stuck her head around the door to Elijah and Klaus' office.

After she told Elijah that Klaus was going to be out of the office today, his brow creased. He told Caroline not to cancel the meeting, and that he would go to it on behalf of Klaus, and told Caroline to take the day off.

"Wh…are you sure?" Caroline asked. She wondered absent-mindedly what would happen about her days' pay, but Elijah answered that, too.

"There's really no need in you being here, when you are Klaus' assistant. He's left you no work to do, and I will be out of the office myself after I've taken his place in the meetings. Don't worry, you'll be paid for a normal day – just do me a favour, and cancel his seminar this afternoon. Oh, and you'll probably need to remind him about any personal arrangements he has this evening."

Caroline nodded, and stepped out of his office. She noticed that Kol was sitting in her desk chair, looking at Klaus' personal planner.

"Kol!" she hissed, snatching the planner out of his hand. "He has a date with _Rose_?" he scoffed.

"No wonder he hasn't showed up today. Any date with Rose is definitely for business, not pleasure."

Caroline ignored him, and picked up her landline phone. After cancelling his seminar, she packed up her things. Kol raised his eyebrows at her.

"Elijah let you off?"

"Yep," Caroline replied smugly. "A whole day off. I haven't had an entire day off work since before I moved to New York. Have a good day," she added, as she put her cardigan on. Kol jumped to his feet.

"Not so fast, Forbes!" Caroline stared at him, questioningly. "I have the day off too. Wednesdays are my free day."

"So why are you here?" she asked.

"I came by to tell you that Klaus won't be in, of course. The apartment building is only around the corner – I'm staying in the apartment below his."

Of course he was – the Mikaelsons weren't about to put their son up in somewhere like the Bronx, where Caroline was still forced to live. She gave Kol a strained smile, and picked up her handbag. "Well, I hope you have a great day off too," she told him, and started to walk out of the office. After giving Lexi a quick briefing of what was happening, and assuring her that she would see her in the evening, she headed towards the elevator.

Kol dived in beside her before the doors could shut. "Go out with me?"

Caroline raised her eyebrows at him. "Huh?"

"Spend the day with me!" Kol insisted. "It'll be fun."

Caroline smiled at him, and struggled not to giggle. "Kol, you're my boss' brother. Both my bosses, that is."

Kol nudged her playfully. "I suppose you have so many great things planned for today?"

That silenced Caroline. All she had been planning on doing was hopping on the subway straight back to Webster Avenue, climbing back in her snuggie and laying in front of Netflixfor the rest of the day. It wouldn't be _too _bad to spend the day with Kol – and she would only be coming back into the city at seven anyway, for her drink-thing with Lexi. So she stood up straight, and offered him a bright smile. "Okay, Kol. Sure."

He grinned, and Caroline was soon about to have one of the craziest days of her life.

* * *

Kol was _insane_. Caroline didn't know that there was so much to do in Manhattan, that didn't involve going for brunch or seeing a show on Broadway. The first thing he did was lead her down a backstreet behind a tyre shop, where a bicycle with a quaint white basket was placed against the wall. Caroline raised her eyebrows as Kol put a finger to his lips, and quietly wheeled the basket out of the other side of the alley, away from the view of the tyre shop.

"What are we _doing_?" Caroline asked, trying to hide her shock that he had just _stolen _a bike from outside a shop. Kol grinned at her, and climbed onto the seat, and then placed his hands on the wicker basket.

"Climb on," he told her.

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Just go with it, Forbes," Kol ushered, and punched her lightly on the shoulder. She groaned inwardly, and awkwardly climbed onto the front of the bike, so that she was sitting on the handlebars with the basket under her legs. Kol kicked off, and then they were cycling around New York.

If Caroline saw anyone else doing this, she would have scoffed at them for being so ridiculous. But as much as she wanted to convince herself that this _was _stupid – she couldn't deny it. She was having fun. Kol swerved in and out of traffic dangerously, causing cars to beep and drivers to shriek out of their car windows, but Caroline just laughed – there was something exciting about the rush of adrenaline that she felt while she was on the front of this bike.

He stood on the pedals while he cycled her across Manhattan – past Central Park and the Natural History Museum, and gliding effortlessly along the sidewalk past the Harlem River. She turned her head to look over the sparkling green waters of the river, where she could see the mainland and the Bronx. She was laughing hysterically when Kol finally swerved down below the sidewalk, right beside the river, and pulled the bike up, allowing her to climb off. She hadn't even noticed how much her backside and thighs were aching from sitting on the wires of the bike, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how much Kol's shins must be aching from cycling the both of them around the city. She leaned against the wall, uncaring that her hair was mussed from the wind, and her cheeks were flushed. This had been the most fun she'd had since she moved here.

Kol was pulling something from his back pocket, and Caroline leaned over to look. It was a miniscule plastic bag, with a suspicious white powder inside it. Warning bells started to chime in Caroline's head – she had never done drugs, and had only ever been around Elena's little brother smoking marijuana. This looked like hard drugs, the type that always sprang up the stories of teenagers ending up in the ICU with liver disease. Kol grinned at her and opened the bag, and then proceeded to take a pinch of the powder between a finger and thumb. He pressed it to his nostril and breathed in, and then smiled dangerously at Caroline. Without speaking, he offered her the bag.

Caroline stared into the minute white crystals, her brain ticking. "I….I don't do drugs."

"Neither do I," replied Kol. "Take a pinch, and then we'll party."

Caroline chewed her lip thoughtfully. She _had _come to New York to make a better life for herself, and how was she ever going to make a better life if she didn't try new experiences? So, after taking a deep breath and trying to push away the thoughts of what her mother would say, she dug her fingers into the cocaine.

* * *

Several hours later, and Caroline was having the time of her life.

She had never felt so amazing in her life. Every nerve in her body was standing on end, and she felt like she was floating on air. All the thoughts that spiralled around her head normally were clouded, translucent, allowing her to just _enjoy _this moment. She was dancing in the dark, with strobe lights flashing and her arms around Kol's neck.

Only Kol would be able to find an underground rave in the middle of the day. While she thrashed around to the heavy music in the dark, uncaring that she was sweating and her make-up was running, she allowed Kol to drag her into the men's bathroom. He pushed her into a cubicle, and took out that bag of magic from his pocket again, spreading a small amount out on the counter. He used a credit card to cut it into two sharp lines, and then handed Caroline a rolled up dollar bill.

She was already high and living on the edge, so she had no problems with leaning over and using the dollar to sniff up the line. Kol took the other one, and as her mind began to fog over again, she leaned back against the wall of the cubicle.

Before she could say anything, Kol loomed into her vision. His hands clamped onto her waist, and her hands found his hair. They were kissing – it was sloppy, messy, but Caroline didn't care. She laughed into his mouth, and then shoved him away. There was something she had to do. What was it she had to do?

"Kol," she muttered. "I have to…I have to call Klaus and make sure he goes for his date," she told him, and fumbled in her handbag for her work phone. She was too gone to see the buttons properly, and Kol ended up pulling it out of her hands and stuffing it into her bag.

"Let's just go and see him!" he exclaimed. "You can tell him in person, and I'll thank him for not coming into work."

"Why?" Caroline asked.

Kol leaned in and kissed her on the nose. "Because if he had come into work, you would be your usual boring self and you wouldn't have come to _my _world."

So in her drug haze, Caroline allowed Kol to drag her out of the party and back onto the street, where she was surprised to discover it was still light. He hailed a cab quickly, and before she knew it, they were on the way to Klaus and Kol's apartment block.

It was a grand, mirrored building that wasn't far from work. Kol pulled Caroline out of the cab, and they rushed past the doorman without acknowledging him – Caroline assumed that he was used to Kol's antics by now. When they were in the elevator, Caroline was high enough to let Kol shove his body up against hers, and start burying his face in her neck, leaving wet kisses along her collarbone.

She had never felt like this before. While she felt so sensitive to every touch, she had never felt so numb. Normally, she would be shocked and embarrassed at Kol trying to have his way with her – but in her drug-fuelled craze she didn't seem to care.

Naturally, Klaus lived in the penthouse. Access to the penthouse required a code, and Kol tapped it in quickly, and they were suddenly soaring up to his quarters. When the elevator doors sprang open, Caroline took a look around at the huge apartment, which was quite studio-like, with a large kitchen-dining room-living room area, and floor-to-ceiling windows at every wall. Kol put his finger to his lips, and took Caroline's hand, leading her through the apartment.

He didn't give her a tour – he simply tip-toed straight through to the bedroom. Caroline looked around the lush red décor, before she spotted Klaus sitting on the edge of his bed, a look of ecstasy on his face. He was clutching someone's dark hair, her head bobbing up and down on his groin.

Caroline shrieked in embarrassment, and backed out of the room. She found herself crashing into his kitchen island as she screwed her eyes shut, knocking several dishes and plates off, which shattered around her feet. Kol burst out laughing, rushing over to help her. They both fell to the floor in a tangle, with the shards of porcelain around them.

"Caroline?" a stern voice spoke. Caroline looked up suddenly – Klaus was standing over them, hastily dressed in his jeans but no top, with his arms crossed over his chest. An Asian woman floated out behind him, wrapped in a silk robe.

"Klaus," she replied, taking in his half-naked form. She stifled a giggle, and tried to stagger to her feet – she instantly caught her hand on a shard of a broken dish, and it sliced a gaping wound in the palm of her hand. He lunged down suddenly, and pulled her to her feet, holding her hand between both of his.

"For heaven's sake," he muttered. "You're going to need stitches."

Caroline simply laughed, apparently unable to feel the pain. "No. I don't have insurance, you see."

Kol started laughing, and Klaus turned his attention to his little brother. "What the hell are you laughing at?" his gaze flickered between the two intruders, resting a little while longer on Caroline, with her flushed cheeks, too-bright eyes and the vacant smile on her face. "Are you high?"

"Naturally, brother," Kol reached into his pocket and pulled out the cocaine. "Have some – it might help you pull that stick out of your arse."

Klaus' face flamed angrily, and he threw Caroline down onto the sofa, where she lay, clutching her wounded hand and giggling. He reached down and grabbed Kol with one hand, using the other to land a brutal punch in his face. The oriental woman gasped, but it was over as soon as it started. Klaus shoved Kol towards the door. "Get out of my sight. We'll talk tomorrow when you're sober. Pearl, I think you should leave – I'm going to have to take Caroline to the hospital."

The Asian woman – Pearl – nodded, though she looked unimpressed. As she collected her things together, Klaus kneeled beside Caroline, looking at her sternly. She was still smiling at him, and as much as Klaus wanted to be angry with her, he felt his heart softening a little.

* * *

**A.N: **Please R&amp;R - also, slight advertisement here! But as a way of developing more ideas for TVD AUs, I've set up an AU Roleplay forum! So please join if you'd be interested :D

forum/Vampire-Diaries-and-The-Originals-AU-Roleplay-Experience/171630/


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N:** I'm sorry if anyone was put off or shocked by the previous chapter. I do aim to shock! I promise that there won't be any more incidents of Caroline taking hard drugs, but I can't promise that Kol won't! It's likely that there will be more shocking scenarios along the way - casual warning.

* * *

_Chapter Four_

Somehow, Klaus found himself sitting at the hospital waiting room with Caroline that evening, instead of engaging in his appointment with Rose, which he'd had to cancel. He also had taken the liberty to contact Lexi to tell her that Caroline wouldn't be making it for their arrangement, and made contact with her roommate to let her know where she was. He was, needless to say, extremely pissed off.

But while Caroline slept beside him, with her head on his shoulder and her hand in a bandage, he just couldn't be angry with her. Kol, on the other hand, he was furious with.

While Caroline was having her stitches, he had already contacted Elijah to tell him that he didn't want to see Kol in the office anymore. He was convinced that Kol had influenced Caroline to take the drugs and get out of control, because he didn't believe she would do it on her own back. He had watched Kol spiral for years, and take many other girls down with him. Life was just a party for Kol.

Elijah had asked if Klaus was going to consider firing Caroline, but Klaus didn't give him an answer. Deep down, he had already made up his mind – he wasn't going to sack Caroline. It was a mishap and it _wasn't _her fault. Also, she was so good at keeping both him and Elijah in check, he wasn't sure he would be able to cope if she were to leave. But then there was the real reason – he didn't see any point in going into work if Caroline wasn't going to be there. He'd gotten too used to being greeted by her smiling face, or watching the adorable way she would flush with embarrassment if he caught her trip over her feet or drop something.

He planned on having a serious chat with her, but he definitely wasn't going to fire her.

Even though she had her hand stitched up neatly now, the nurses had advised them to wait until the drugs were out of her system. Klaus had elaborated a story about how she had her drink spiked at a party, and they seemed to buy it – most of the nurses had been too starstruck by Klaus' presence to really pay much attention. But they were creeping towards one in the morning now, and Klaus didn't want to sit about any longer. So he hauled Caroline up in his arms, and signed her out.

* * *

Caroline awoke the next day feeling comfortable, but her head was throbbing. She sat up, cracked her eyes open, and held up her arm to shade her face. The sun was streaming through the wide window to her left, and when she looked around, she learned that she was in a large crimson-quilted bed; the biggest bed that she had ever seen in her life. Over by the window, sat in a matching red-covered loveseat, was Klaus, sipping tea and reading the New Yorker. He was dressed casually, in low-slung grey jeans and a black jumper.

She rubbed her forehead, feeling confused. A sudden thought passed over her, and she quickly looked under the covers. Her memories of the previous day were scattered, and she just needed to check that she wasn't naked - being naked in an unfamiliar bed was a guaranteed disaster. Luckily, she was dressed – but not in her own clothes. She was swathed in an oversized men's shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, so Klaus had clearly redressed her. She opened her mouth, ready to shoot something at him, but he spoke first.

"Before you start," he muttered before she could speak, not looking away from his magazine. "Yes, I had to undress you. You threw up all over yourself on the way home from the hospital, and it was too far to get you all the way back to the Bronx – and frankly, I didn't think you were capable of looking after yourself. You still had Class A drugs in your system, and I took it as a personal liberty – as your employer – to look after you."

Caroline flushed brightly. "You saw me naked?"

This got Klaus' attention. He looked up at her, but he wasn't wearing his usual trademark smirk – in fact he looked downright severe. "Yes, Caroline, I saw you naked. But I've seen plenty of women naked, many of them right where you're sitting now, so try not to feel special."

Caroline glowed angrily, and opened her mouth to respond. Memories were flooding back – the main ones including taking cocaine with Kol, kissing Kol in different parts of Manhattan, riding on the front of his stolen bicycle down the side of the Harlem – and of course, most prominently – coming back to Klaus' apartment with Kol, and finding him receiving oral sex from his little Chinese beauty. She threw back the covers, and stormed out of his bed, and straight into his en-suite. She slammed the door behind her, and leaned on the counter, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She really looked a sight. Her hair was stuck up in a number of different places, and she had pink lipstick smeared across her cheek. She groaned, and buried her face into the sink, scrubbing her face the best she could with the use of only one hand. When she was make-up free, and she had combed out her hair with her fingers, she stepped back into Klaus' bedroom, trying to make a more dignified entrance. He was still looking at his New Yorker, but when she returned he placed it on the seat beside him.

"If you're going to fire me, just hurry up and do it," Caroline murmured. She couldn't bear it to be drawn out – she needed to get it over and done with. Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be ridiculous, Caroline. I'm not going to fire you – we're just going to have a nice, long chat. Can I offer you some breakfast?" he jumped to his feet, and left the bedroom. Tentatively, Caroline followed, feeling confused.

"I'm not really hungry," she replied as she closed the bedroom door behind her. Klaus was already standing by the door, using the telephone that was hanging there by a cord. He clicked his fingers at her impatiently.

"Not interested in excuses," he told her. "I'll order you pancakes and fruit," he relayed an order into the telephone, and then put the phone down. "I love living in a city where you can order breakfast on delivery. Such fun." He wandered over to the kitchen table, and opened a chair, motioning for Caroline to sit. Once she did so, he pushed her in, and then sat down opposite her. She tried not to glare at him – she was getting fed up of him treating her like a child. "Firstly, I'll establish this – you're unfit to work for the next three working days."

Caroline blinked at him. "What – no, I can't miss work!" she gasped. "I can't afford unpaid days off, Klaus."

Klaus held up his hand. "If you'll let me finish. You're unfit to work because you won't be able to remove that bandage on your hand for another three days. However, I'm not giving up on you that easily, and frankly I don't think I will be able to manage without your assistance – even for just a few days," Caroline felt her pride swelling. "So, you're going to stay here with me. It's Thursday, so you will spend today here, tomorrow and Monday. I expect you to remain here throughout the weekend – you can call it your punishment for your behaviour yesterday."

"I…" Caroline wanted to argue the weekend work, but she knew she couldn't fight it. He was being generous enough by not sacking her. "…So, I'll leave here every night and come back in the morning?"

Klaus smirked, for the first time since she had seen him that morning, and she felt warmth spreading through her chest. He wasn't angry with her. "If you like," he replied, but his voice dropped to a sneer. "You're welcome to spend the night."

Caroline wanted to throw the vase in the centre of the table at his head, but she gave him a forced smile. "No, thank you."

"Suit yourself. I will take you home every night and collect you in the morning," before Caroline could protest, he was talking again. "I'm not going to go into too much detail about the events of yesterday, because I don't want to cause an argument. We are going to do what my brother Elijah calls a 'repair'. You can tell me what annoyed you yesterday, and I'll talk about what annoyed me. We'll take it in turns. Me first," Klaus took a breath, and leant back in his chair with his fingertips pressed together. "I didn't like that you used the free day Elijah so kindly gave you to go rampant around the city with Kol."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, and wrapped her arms around herself. "Are you annoyed with the fact I was taking drugs with Kol, or just being with Kol in general?"

Klaus' eyes glimmered dangerously.

"Whatever. Okay, I didn't like that you just randomly took a day off from work without telling me, leaving me to dump your two meetings on Elijah and have to cancel that important seminar – and then I came here to find you doing _that _with your girlfriend."

"Are you annoyed at the fact I took a day off without alerting you, or that I was having a blowjob from a friend?"

Now it was Caroline's turn to glare at him, only she wasn't smirking.

"I think the wires have definitely gotten crossed," she responded. "Whatever you might think, I'm not interested in you, and I don't care _what _you choose to do in your spare time or who you do it with – I just think you should have a reasonable excuse to take unplanned days off work."

"Some might think you were _my _boss, Caroline."

"You wanted to do this."

"I think we've established how we feel. Okay Caroline, I promise that should I ever take a day of absence, I will alert you immediately," Caroline nodded. "And in return, I'd like you to promise not to see Kol out of the office again."

Caroline stiffened up. She was a little irritated with Kol for leading her astray, if truth be told – but she was a grown woman. She had made her own decisions yesterday, none of which were made by Kol. Even though she deeply regretted falling prey to peer pressure, and was confident that she wasn't ever going to do anything so reckless again – she didn't want to lose a friend in Kol.

"Are you going to stop seeing the lovely Pearl?" she asked in a low voice. His left eyebrow rose higher as his blue eyes burned into her.

"This isn't about getting even, Caroline. I don't want you to see him."

She threw herself back in her chair. "What, so you can run around New York with whoever the hell you like, but I'm not allowed to hang out with a friend?"

"I don't do hard drugs with my friends, Caroline," he replied breezily.

"Well I don't sleep with all of mine," she shot back.

"Oh, I don't know. You and Klaus were pretty comfortable together yesterday, what I can gather by the bruises all over your neck and the lipstick that was around your mouth. I'm sure after one or two more hits he would have convinced you to climb into bed with him," Caroline couldn't miss the jealous undertone in his voice and she felt utterly confused.

Yes, there had been a couple of incidents where they had _almost _kissed. Caroline never missed Klaus' flirtatious comments and the way his eyes undressed her when she sauntered into the office, and she knew he acted differently with her than the other women. She knew that he didn't give as much attention to the women he went on multiple dinner dates with and brought back to his lavish apartment as he did to her – but she still never thought Klaus actually _liked _her in that way. If that was the case, why did he continue to see all these women and not spare her a thought? Or, why didn't he just make it clear that he didn't want to pursue anything with her, and stop flirting with her at work?

And on the other hand, Caroline knew that she felt something for Klaus. While hanging out with Kol had been fun, and he always made her smile – and she didn't mind it when he flirted with her – she couldn't deny that there was something with Klaus, something much more deep-rooted. There was something about him that made her insides melt.

So what on earth were they doing? They spent several minutes glaring at each other across the kitchen table, until the sound of the callbox buzzing caused Caroline to flinch. Klaus climbed to his feet, and answered the door. It was the breakfast that Klaus had previously ordered, which they ate in silence.

* * *

After their awkward conversation in the morning, Caroline and Klaus spent the rest of the day working. As much as Caroline didn't want to talk to him, it was a bit difficult without the use of one of her hands. She had to explain most things out loud to him, things she would normally put in an email.

At seven, Klaus finally checked his watch and asked Caroline if she wanted to go home. She had nodded, beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable sitting around his apartment in his shirt and pants. All she wanted to do was climb in the shower and then crawl under her covers, and forget about this embarrassing day.

She half expected Klaus to just walk her to the car, and let his driver take her home, but he climbed in beside her as he did the night before. They remained in silence for the entire journey, with Caroline staring out of the window, and Klaus mindlessly scrolling through his iPhone. When they pulled up, it was pouring rain, the kind of awful, dense grey rain that soaked you through to the skin. Caroline made to jump out of the car as soon as the car pulled to a stop, but Klaus climbed out too, and walked her to the door.

"Right, well. See you tomorrow," Caroline muttered, pulling her keys out of her handbag. The rain was hammering down, plastering her hair to her head.

"Caroline," Klaus stated. She looked up at him, and blinked. "Look, I'm sorry if today has been…uncomfortable. But you should know – I really, really don't want you to hang around with Kol anymore."

Caroline sighed, and turned back to the door without answering him.

"It's not because I'm…jealous…or whatever else you might think," Klaus added. "You see, Kol has been out of control his entire life. I know he's fun and he knows how to throw a great party and _whatever _else it is he does these days – but he's off the rails, and he always has been."

Caroline waited for him to continue.

"I just don't want to see him drag you down the wrong path."

Caroline slammed her hand against the door. "Why do you even care?" she demanded to know.

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Of course I care, Caroline. He's my demented little brother and you're my employee."

"Do you run about after Lexi when she's hanging out with Kol? Because I know she does. Do you?"

"No, of course not Caro—"

"—I just want to know," Caroline interrupted. "Because things are getting a little bit confusing. You walk around treating me like…like I'm your _girlfriend _or something, all this looking out for me and giving me rides home and telling me I can't be friends with your brother! I know you don't treat the other girls at work like this, so what is it?"

"Caroline," Klaus started. "Just calm down."

"No, I'm not going to calm down!" Caroline shouted over the sound of the rain. She was releasing the frustration that had been building up inside her all day. "You can't act like that, Klaus – it's just…it's just…" she didn't really know where she was going with that. All she knew was that she was horribly confused about her feelings, and about his feelings, and she just needed to go to bed. She turned away from him and fumbled with her keys again, but her hands were wet and they slipped out of her hands, she staggered to her knees. Klaus suddenly knelt down too, to help her find them, and she looked up. At the same time, he also looked at her, and they locked eyes on one another whilst they were knelt down on the doorstep in the rain.

Klaus grabbed the keys, and pulled Caroline to her feet, holding her by her shoulders. As they stood in front of the door, Caroline began to feel those electric sensations that had transferred between them only twice before – during the first time she met him on the balcony at the Mikaelson Mansion, and inside his car just a few weeks ago. They were stood in the rain, connected by Klaus' hands on Caroline's upper arms, staring at each other intensely.

There wasn't really anything else to say – and even if either of them wanted to, they wouldn't have. Instead, they suddenly crashed into each other – Caroline's arms wound their way around his arms, and Klaus' hands tangled into her wet blonde hair. Their lips collided, as they finally poured weeks of tension into each other. Klaus pushed Caroline up against the door roughly – his kiss was possessive and demanding, and he removed one hand from her hair to grab her waist and pull her hips into his. She whimpered into his mouth, and he bit down on her bottom lip softly.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open, and they were forced to tear away from one another, as Caroline went tumbling through the (now open) door. Klaus reached out and grabbed her, hauling her back to her feet, and they both spun to look at who was at the door. It was Elena, and she was standing with her eyebrows raised.

Caroline glowed in embarrassment, but Klaus looked completely composed. He shot his trademark, lazy smirk in Elena's direction, and stuck out his hand. "You must be the friend who I spoke to last night. As you can see, I've brought Caroline back, safe and sound."

Elena shook his hand delicately, but didn't take her eyes off Caroline. Caroline knew she desperately wanted to drag her into the apartment and question her, but instead she backed off. "Well. I just came down because I heard a bang…but I'll leave you to it!" Elena forced a smile, and then made to close the door, but Caroline stuck her foot in the entryway.

"No! I'm coming inside now," Caroline said quickly, and stepped into the doorway. She forced herself to make eye contact with Klaus. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told him, and he nodded.

When she had closed the door behind her, Klaus stood on the doorstep for a few moments. He overhead Elena hissing at Caroline, demanding to know what had happened. He smirked, and made his way back down to the car. Once he slid into the back seat, he opened up the contacts menu on his iPhone.

"Drop me by Pearl's house, mate," he called to the driver. When the driver gave Klaus a raised eyebrow through the rear-view mirror, he simply scoffed back.

He had been hoping that Caroline would stay at his apartment, but instead she had chosen to return home. So, he was going to find company in someone else - he really, really didn't want to have to return to that empty house alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: **Five chapters in and I'm already sick of flames by guest reviewers! I've deleted a bunch because unfortunately I'm not blessed with the thick skin of others, and rude comments often make me want to give up entirely. So, if you're a guest and you're planning on writing a review that is basically just a completely negative comment – don't bother wasting your time and energy, as your review will be deleted immediately.

I feel like I really ought to establish what a good review is. I haven't strayed from fandoms much other than the Harry Potter fandom (where everyone is appropriate and seems to be aware what a good review is). Basically, if you feel like pointing out something negative, you have the politeness and courtesy to offer a **CONSTRUCTIVE REVIEW**. A constructive review starts off with something good about the story, then points out anything that could be changed or improved, and then ends on a good point.

And if this needs to be said, I consider a flame to be anything that is a negative review without a single positive comment. Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all?

So, for those flamers – positive, negative, positive. Not that hard, is it? I'm not going to make any more like this because I'm getting seriously fed up. Please – have some common decency and politeness!

And I must thank all the lovely guest reviewers who have left me kind reviews! I'm glad some of you are genuine and not just hiding behind an anonymous façade! As much as I've wanted to shut this story down (already) for the negative reviews I've received, I'm going to stick myself to the people that are actually enjoying the story! Much love.

* * *

_Chapter Five_

When Klaus' car pulled up on Webster Avenue the next day, the rain had gotten worse. Caroline almost didn't believe her alarm when it rang at seven as the skies were still charcoal grey. Rain was pouring from the sky at an alarming rate, great heavy droplets that filled the curbs and flooded the grates. Caroline was briefly grateful that she didn't have to dress to impress an office full of people – she didn't care for making too much of an effort just to sit and work at Klaus' apartment. She dressed casually in a wool skirt and a knitted cardigan, wrapping a thick scarf around her shoulders, and waited patiently at the window.

She was dreading seeing Klaus again. It had been bad enough that she had to relay the whole incident to Elena, who had seen a portion of it – she didn't need a constant reminder of the event while sitting across from Klaus during her work hours. As she lingered by the rain-dashed window, Elena came up behind her, still in her pyjamas.

"This is what happens when you start a relationship with someone at work," she said in an I-told-you-so kind of way.

"We're not in a relationship," muttered Caroline, snatching Elena's coffee mug out of her hand and taking a sip. "It was just…a weird…kiss thing."

"Well, let's hope there's no more of those weird kiss things," Elena replied, grabbing her coffee back. She squinted through the windows, noticing a set of car lights through the rain. "I think your boyfriend is here."

Caroline gave Elena a deathly glare, and snatched up her handbag. "Remember I'm not coming home straight away tonight," she told her friend. After she had been unable to go to Lexi's drink-thing on Wednesday, she had promised her she would meet her tonight, despite her bandaged hand.

"Stay off the coke," Elena offered jokingly. "I might have to get Jeremy to come up and babysit you."

"What did we agree on?" hissed Caroline, giving Elena a meaningful stare.

Elena rolled her eyes expressively. "Okay, okay. No mention of Caroline the cokehead."

Caroline threw a feeble punch into Elena's shoulder, and sauntered out of the door. "I'll see you tonight!" she called back to her friend, as she pulled her scarf over her head and ran out to the car.

She was surprised to discover that Klaus had not come along for the ride, and to be honest, she felt a little disappointed. She climbed into the car alone, catching the eye of the driver in the rear-view mirror. Without greeting her, he started driving.

Less than thirty minutes later, they arrived outside Klaus' apartment block. Caroline awkwardly thanked the driver, and rushed inside. When she reached the elevator, the doors were already opening – Kol stepped out, looking tired, and sporting a sore looking black eye.

He blanched at the sight of Caroline, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Hey, Caroline…" he greeted, trying to avoid her eye contact.

"Kol," she replied. She knew that Klaus didn't want her to see Kol, but frankly, they hadn't quite managed to establish that – and what was she meant to do if she saw Kol in the middle of the foyer at his apartment block?

"Caroline, I'm really sorry about the other day," Kol started. "I know it got a little out of hand – I'm glad you didn't lose your job, though."

"Listen – it wasn't your fault," Caroline ushered. "For heaven's sake, Kol – I'm _older _than you! I knew what I was doing, honestly."

Kol peered at her through his eyelashes. "I know Klaus doesn't want us to be friends anymore," he muttered. Caroline gritted her teeth.

"I don't want to listen to him, Kol – but honestly, I need to do the best for my job," she replied. Kol sighed, but he nodded.

"I get it. But take my number, okay? In case you ever need anything…" as Kol started to scribble his number on a scrap of paper, Caroline wanted to tell him that it really wasn't necessary, but she also didn't want to hurt his feelings. So she politely took the number from him and folded it up, tucking it into the pocket of her cardigan. She said a quick goodbye to Kol, and waited for the elevator. As she stood there, she watched Kol wander out of the foyer, and couldn't help but notice how sad he looked. His bouncy step had lagged, and he wasn't dressed as brightly as she was used to seeing him.

But she wasn't here to deal with Kol. So, when the elevator doors opened, she stepped inside without giving him a second look.

* * *

Klaus was spectacularly hard to work with that day. Caroline had worried that he would be his usual cocky self, probably making comments about the kiss they had shared last night – but instead, he seemed completely vacant, not paying much attention to anything they were discussing. Caroline was trying to organise a set of scrabbled minutes from one of the meetings that Elijah had taken Klaus' place in, and Klaus was just not offering her any help whatsoever. She had no idea what the meeting had been about, which only made the task she had to do a hell of a lot harder.

Finally, when three hours had passed and she was still not getting anywhere, she threw her pen down and looked over at Klaus. He wasn't sitting at the table with her; he was choosing to pace the apartment instead, occasionally looking out of the window. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts to pay attention to her, and Caroline decided she was wasting her time.

"Is there anything else you want me to do, Klaus?" she asked, trying not to let her frustration pour into her voice.

"Yes," Klaus muttered in response, but he wasn't looking at her. "I have some suits that need to go for dry cleaning, as soon as possible. They're in the closet, in a garment bag." Caroline nodded, and made to head for his bedroom, but she slowed as she passed him.

"Are you alright?" she asked. She wasn't sure why she even asked, because she was trying to maintain some emotional distance from him, but the vacant look in his eye concerned her a little bit. She hadn't seen him like this in the whole time she'd known him.

He locked eyes with her quickly enough, but he wasn't wearing his usual flirtatious expression. "No Caroline, I'm not," he replied. He folded his arms, and looked out of the window. "It seems Elijah and I are having a disagreement about the placement of Kol. Elijah has always been a little bit too soft when it comes to our little brother."

Caroline didn't really want to involve herself, but the mention of Kol had sparked her interest. She didn't comment, but Klaus kept talking anyway.

"I don't think that Kol deserves to have an internship at our company. Not only did he act the way he did with you on Wednesday, but he was given the opportunity to work with Finn and Sage when he was given his section of the fortune, but instead he decided to be reckless and rush off on his world tour. He managed to keep it quiet from mother and father that he had run out of money and that's why he returned to New York, but they found out pretty quickly. It was Elijah's idea to give him the internship, and I was the one who fired him when…well, you know when. But now Elijah wants him to come back." Klaus waved a hand absent-mindedly. "It's not really a big deal; I just don't want him in the office with me."

Caroline still didn't comment. Personally, she thought that Klaus had been far too hard on Kol, but it really wasn't her place to comment. So she gave him a sympathetic look, and quietly sidestepped him so that she could get to his bedroom.

As much as she did want to still chat to Kol and be friends with him, she _really _couldn't risk her job. She needed to get paid, so that she and Elena could get the hell out of the Bronx. Maybe once she had earned enough money and gotten herself another job, she would see if they could still be friends. But there was absolutely, definitely no way that she would make the same reckless decision that she had on that day.

As she wandered into the closet, she thought back to Elena asking her just _why the hell _she had acted so impulsively. The truth was, she didn't really know. Caroline had spent her life in Mystic Falls doing everything by the books. She was a clever student, she didn't get into trouble. She _always _studied hard and got good grades throughout high school and college. Caroline made the effort to be the perfect teenager; she was captain of the cheerleading team, head of the prom committee, Miss Mystic Falls and most importantly, she managed to become the girlfriend of the captain of the football team. She had a great life in Mystic Falls, but it was also a very _basic _life. She led the life that hundreds of other girls had before.

When she came to New York, she and Elena promised that they would live their early twenties to the fullest. They would go to all the hotspots, get invited to all the parties, and gain as many experiences as they could, no matter how good or bad they happened to be. So, when Kol had held out that bag of white powder, of course her initial reaction had been to gasp and reject him. Warning bells had rung in her head, but then she remembered – she was just twenty two years old and she was supposed to be living her life and gaining experiences.

Yes, it had been a mixed experience. She _knew _that taking hard drugs was a ridiculous pastime, but she had gained the experience. And she knew now, that she would never do it again.

Her daydream was disrupted, as her foot tangled in something on the way out of the closet. She was clutching three garment bags in her arms, so it was difficult to see what her heel had gotten caught on. After throwing the garment bags down on the middle bench in the closet, she reached down to grab the scrabbly bit of fabric. When she held it up, her face fell in horror.

It was a tiny, lacy black thong.

Her face flamed, and she gripped her hand around the underwear, and stormed out of the closet.

She knew that it had only appeared there last night. She had walked through his closet to get to the en-suite just twenty four hours ago, and the floors had been cleared. While she knew that she didn't really have any place to _be _angry about whom Klaus decided to bring back to his apartment, she still found rage boiling in her stomach.

What had happened? Had he kissed her on her doorstep, and then decided instantly he would call up someone out of his little black book? Did he _really _think it was okay to tell her that she couldn't hang around with Kol, when he went around and behaved like this?

Caroline knew deep down that she had feelings for Klaus, and it felt as though a thousand shards were cutting into those feelings. He acted like he liked her, so how could he behave like this? She didn't want to dwell on this right now. She just needed to get the day over with and then go out with her friends. So, she stormed out of the closet with the garment bags over her shoulder and thong in her hand. Klaus turned around from the window when she returned, but before he could speak, Caroline threw the thong in his face.

As she sauntered towards the elevator with the garment bags, she heard Klaus groaning. But he didn't get a chance to call after her, as luckily the elevator was already waiting, and Caroline managed to jump in and shut the doors before he could say anything.

When she reached the bottom floor, she began to realise that there really was no point in trying to behave for Klaus. So when she hailed and climbed into a cab (deliberately ignoring Klaus' driver, who was parked waiting for her), she pulled out the scrap of paper that Kol had given her earlier, and added his number to her contacts. Feeling quite smug about privately getting back at Klaus, she sent Kol a text message, asking if he would like to join her and Lexi for the drink-thing later on.

* * *

Thankfully, Caroline managed to spend the rest of the day in peace. When she returned to the apartment with Klaus' dry cleaning, he was gone. He had simply left her a note with a list of a few things he needed her to do, which she was glad to work through in silence.

No one disturbed her, up until five to five, when she was packing away her things and clearing up the kitchen table where she'd been working. Klaus stepped through the elevator as she was waiting for it, and then awkwardly stepped back into it after her.

"I'll come for the ride home with you," he stated, staring straight ahead.

"It's fine," Caroline replied in a stiff voice. "I'm not going home."

This time, Klaus did look at her. "Well, where are you going?"

"That's none of your business, Klaus. The working day is finished."

She heard Klaus sigh dramatically, and knew he was rolling his eyes. When the elevator came to a halt, she stalked away from him. All she wanted to do now was rush out of the apartment building and go for a well-deserved drink with her friends, who would happily complain about Klaus along with her. But Klaus continued to rush after her, despite her fast pace.

"Don't waste your money. I'll take you to wherever you want to go." Caroline didn't reply until she got to the sidewalk, and stuck her arm out to signal a cab. "Caroline, don't be so childish."

Caroline spun around, flicking her hair in his face. "_Me _childish? How old are you? Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight?"

"Twenty-six," muttered Klaus.

"Old enough not to behave like you're still in college," Caroline scoffed back. "Sleeping with a different girl every night is a sure fast way to catch chlamydia, Klaus," she returned her arm back into the traffic.

"I get it, you're still bitter about finding someone's knickers on the floor," Klaus snarled.

"Whatever, Caroline – you said yourself yesterday that we're not together, so why are you acting so bothered?"

An empty cab screeched to a halt beside Caroline, and she pulled the door to the back seat open.

"Maybe because you keep messing with my head!" she yelled back. "I'll see you on Monday," she added, before climbing into the cab and pulling the door closed behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

After Caroline had climbed into the cab and sped off, Klaus was left standing on the sidewalk in the rain. He groaned inwardly before heading back inside.

Once he'd returned to his apartment, the first thing he spotted was the underwear on the floor, where Caroline had previously thrown it at him. In a moment of anger, he stormed over and scooped them up in his hand, proceeding to throw them in the trash. He felt like such an idiot – Caroline was right to be angry with him. He had messed with her head – kissing her on her doorstep and then jumping into bed with another woman less than an hour later really wasn't the right thing to do, but he couldn't help it. He sat at the table, balling his fists into his hair angrily.

The callbox buzzed. He wandered over to the telephone, hoping that Caroline had forgotten something. "Hello?"

"It's Elijah," a cool voice replied. Klaus rolled his eyes before buzzing his older brother up. He'd forgotten that he had arrangements with his brother tonight, despite the fact that Caroline had written it across both of his planners, and left them out on the kitchen table. He quickly rushed into the bedrooms and changed into one of the clean suits that Caroline had dry cleaned, and when he was presentable he walked back into the kitchen. Elijah was sitting there, dressed impeccably in a sharp grey suit, not a hair out of place. "I've made reservations at the NoMad," Elijah told him. "For six thirty, so we should make a move quickly."

Klaus nodded, and followed his brother out of the apartment. They took Klaus' car downtown to the NoMad, and got seated pretty quickly. Klaus knew that they were here to discuss the Kol situation, and he wasn't looking forward to arguing over his brother once again.

Elijah ordered a bottle of Leoville Barton red wine without even looking at the menu and sat opposite Klaus, his fingertips pressed together. "So, Klaus," he began. "We have a lot to discuss."

As their starter arrived, they had already begun discussing Kol. "I think you're being a little too harsh on him, brother," Elijah was saying. "Yes, he's reckless – but that's exactly why we need to keep helping him grow and teaching him to be more like us."

"I don't want him in the office, Elijah. He's a bad influence on Caroline, and—"

"—I didn't realise that this was about Caroline," interrupted Elijah. Klaus pursed his lips.

"It's not. But that's not the point."

"We need to come to an agreement," Elijah continued. "This is _our _company, and I don't want to turn Kol away from a job. Yes – he's idiotic, and completely unreliable – but he just needs a chance to flourish."

"If that's the case, brother – I think we need to be in separate offices."

Elijah raised an eyebrow, allowing Klaus to continue.

"Well, you want to help Kol…flourish…and I want him out of my sight. I think it's about time we opened up the offices at the back of the floor. Kol can take over Caroline's desk and you can have our office to yourself, and Caroline and I will move into the back office."

Elijah continued to watch Klaus carefully. "You mean the back office that hasn't been used in three years – mostly because it doesn't have quick access to the main elevator and it doesn't have its own kitchen – why on earth would you want to move back there?" he paused. "Unless the rumours are true, and you really are trying to establish something with Caroline. It would explain why you want to keep the two of you holed up in your own little private area."

"What rumours?" Klaus demanded to know.

"Word spreads, Niklaus. People talk," Elijah refilled their glasses with the expensive red wine.

"They know that Caroline has been spending the last few work days at your apartment – but I must say, the biggest scandal is what Kol and Caroline caught you doing."

"My private life is no one else's business, brother," muttered Klaus into his glass. "But the rumours are just that – rumours. Caroline got involved with Kol, and ended up having an accident, which meant that she couldn't work. Though, she should be able to have her stitches out in the next few days, so everything will go back to normal. I would prefer us to be out of the main office because we _have _had some employee to employer differences in the last few days, and the most conflicting one stemmed from Kol's influence. So, I would like to leave it at that."

Elijah tipped his glass in Klaus' direction. "Then we have an agreement, brother. I will have Kol's contractual agreement re-established, and set him a position as my personal intern. I'll make a good man out of our baby brother yet, Niklaus."

Klaus gave Elijah a look of disbelief, but didn't pursue the matter.

"Onto our next agenda," Elijah continued. "Your relationship with Caroline."

"Nothing to do with you, or the office," finished Klaus.

"Maybe not, but it's still becoming an obvious distraction. I saw you both arguing on the roadside like a married old couple. Just what is happening between you both?"

"It's complicated," Klaus responded briefly. He didn't really want to discuss something so close to his heart with Elijah – they had never been the type of brothers who shared deep, intimate secrets – but he could sense that Elijah wasn't going to give up easily.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

Klaus slammed his wine glass down, and glared at his brother. "You want the story? Okay, fine, I'll give you the story. Caroline clearly has feelings for me, and I am proud enough to admit that yes, those feelings are somewhat reciprocated. But I'm not going to stop behaving the way I normally do, just because a girl I have known barely a month has a schoolgirl crush on me." He grabbed the wine bottle, and refilled his glass again.

"When you say 'behave the way you normally do'…" Elijah quoted vaguely.

"I meet a lot of women. I entertain a lot of women. I don't care, Elijah!" Klaus' voice was rising. He had drunk almost the full bottle of wine, as Elijah was only on his second glass. "It's the only thing that makes me feel…that…"

"I understand, brother," Elijah concluded for him. "But you need to admit it, and then I can help you."

Klaus rolled his eyes dramatically. "I don't need you to fix me, Elijah. I'm not Kol."

Elijah ignored his comment. "You're lonely, Niklaus. Anyone can see it. That's why you won't spend an evening by yourself; that's why you won't try to entertain the idea of getting closer to Caroline. You don't want her to reject you, so you constantly fill your life with these random women, at a brief chance to try and feel fulfilled."

Klaus stared at his plate, feeling anger boiling up in his stomach. He wasn't angry because Klaus was actually saying it – he was angry because it was true, and he hadn't even realised it. He was angry because Elijah knew him better than he knew himself, and that wasn't right. Klaus liked to imagine he was elusive, unpredictable, a force to be reckoned with. But Elijah could see right through him.

"Even if you don't pursue something, you have a chance to make a real friend in Caroline," Elijah continued. "You work well together, you have a great rapport. She makes you smile and she's a great addition to the office, but if you carry behaving like this, you're going to push her away," he paused. "If you're finished, I suggest we go and find Caroline, so you can apologise properly."

"She doesn't want to see me, brother. She made that perfectly clear."

"So you just apologise and leave," Elijah threw down his napkin. "Grab your coat, we're leaving."

* * *

Across town, Caroline was having a great time with Lexi and Kol in a smokey bar downtown, drinking cheap beer and playing pool. She had met some great people – Lexi had brought along with her a friend called Stefan, and his older brother Damon, who didn't really say much apart from the odd, sarcastic comment, and spent most of his time sat at the bar. But nevertheless, Caroline

was having a great time.

The awkwardness she had felt between Kol earlier was gone. They were all sat in a booth together while Kol told her about the fortnight he spent in Thailand – over the bottles of Budweiser that they were drinking one after the other, Caroline was howling with laughter.

"…and then, I had her laid down on the bed, right," Kol slurred. Lexi was perched on the table, listening to his story with bated breath. "…and she's just lying there, doesn't say anything at all! I was so drunk, I didn't even notice…I pulled her knickers down…and it all fell out!"

"Oh, my god!" Caroline laughed, tears streaming down her face. In her merry-drunk state, everything that Kol was saying was hilarious. Lexi was laughing too, leaning up against Caroline.

"She was bigger than me!" Kol continued, and suddenly he was laughing too. Stefan, Lexi's friend, wasn't laughing quite as much, but shaking his head with a humorous look on his face. Caroline was so glad that she was able to drown out a seriously awkward day with friends in a bar – it was the best start to what she hoped would be a much more positive weekend.

Or so she thought. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the four of them to look up. Much to her distaste, Klaus and Elijah were stood at their table. She groaned inwardly, and shot a meaningful look at Lexi. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? All she wanted was to take some time away – to have her weekend without sparing Klaus a thought. But she couldn't even get a couple of hours into her weekend without him just showing up.

For Elijah's sake, she turned her head and offered them both a smile, which wasn't as easy now that she was slightly drunk. She knew her cheeks were flushed, her eyes too bright, and her smile a little too toothy. Lexi was also grinning at them both. Kol, on the other hand, looked as though he was desperately trying to shrink as far back into the corner as he could, and Caroline didn't really blame him – Klaus was glaring right at him, with a look that could kill.

Lexi was the first one to speak. "Well, this is a surprise, bosses!" she greeted playfully. Elijah gave her a small, tight smile.

"Nice to see you having fun, Ms Branson," Elijah responded.

Lexi took a look around at the empty bottles on the table. "Well, I think it's my round. Can I get you anything?" she asked Klaus and Elijah.

Klaus didn't reply; he was still staring at Kol. Elijah smiled at Lexi, but politely said no. When Lexi hopped off the table surface to go towards the bar, Stefan jumped up too, muttering something about helping her with the tray. Finally, Klaus pulled his gaze away from Kol, letting it settle on

Caroline. "I'd like to speak to you, Caroline," he told her.

Caroline stared back at him, her face ambivalent. "I'm sorry, Klaus – but I'm busy."

"With my brother?" he replied in a low voice, and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Caroline, if you won't speak to Klaus, would you consider speaking to me?" asked Elijah in his smart, smooth tone. Caroline jumped at being addressed by Elijah – she was generally always nervous around him, but she didn't really expect him to take any particular side in this argument. "It is all to do with your job at the office, and I think Klaus could do with some time to discuss our new working arrangement with Kol, anyway."

Klaus didn't look impressed at the thought of having to sit down and talk to the brother who he was currently extremely irritated with at the moment – and judging by the way that Kol tentatively placed a hand to the bruise on his eye, he didn't really want to speak to his big brother, either. But, nevertheless, Caroline climbed to her feet, and breezed past Klaus, stalking after Elijah.

He led the two of them outside, into the alley by the side of the bar. Amongst the litter-strewn pavement and the stinking garbage bins, Caroline couldn't help but notice how odd the impeccably dressed Elijah looked. This definitely wasn't the kind of environment he was used to.

"I'll get straight to the point," he started, apparently becoming aware of his surroundings. He started by explaining to Caroline the situation with the office move, and adding some more detail to Klaus' feelings on Kol.

Klaus had been right. Kol _did _have a reckless background. He had dropped out of college in his first six months, and immediately ran off on his world tour once his fortune had been sent to his bank account. Elijah told her that each of his siblings had been to the ICU or to the police station to collect Kol at least ones, for numerous offences – most of which included drug use, drug possession, assault and thievery. As Caroline was about to protest that she understood that Kol was a little off the rails, Elijah simply held up his hand to silence her. He wasn't the type of man that you interrupted.

"He has a funny way of showing it, but he does care about you," Elijah continued. "And he has always detested the lifestyle my brother leads, so he will find it personally upsetting to see you travelling down the same…path."

"I'm not travelling down any path, Mr Mikaelson," she assured him (she hadn't yet been ready to call Elijah by his first name, at least not to his face). "It was a one-time thing. Kol and I are just friends."

Elijah nodded, and continued. After an awkward pause, he relayed everything he had already said to Klaus at the NoMad – about his issues with being alone, and why he chose to behave the way he did. The more Elijah talked, the more Caroline seemed to soften. She was upset with Klaus, and hurt by the way he had behaved, but it seemed there was a reason for everything. Though, she wasn't ready to forgive him completely, and when Elijah finished talking, she leaned back against the wall.

"I'm not going to carry on letting him act like he does with me, Mr Mikaelson," she told Elijah. "I understand that he may have these loneliness issues, but I don't want to have it consuming my own life. I'll continue to work for him, but I'm not going to go back to his apartment. I don't want the rides home, I don't want the awkwardness that _always _seems to happen when we're left alone with each other," Caroline didn't really know why she was telling Elijah all of this, but she felt like she needed to explain herself to someone. "I'll go to the hospital for my stitches out on Sunday. I think this is the way we need to be."

"Well, I appreciate your adult approach to this situation, Caroline," Elijah replied, reaching out and patting her on the shoulder. "Your job could very much have been on the line if the pair of you continued to act like this, so I think you're making the right decision. I only hope it will rub off on my brother."

Caroline shrugged, and then said a hasty thanks to Elijah. They both re-entered the bar, and Klaus looked over at her immediately. As much as she wanted to see the loneliness in his eyes and feel a little pity for him, all she could feel was confusion. But she needed to make peace with Klaus, so she walked straight up to him, to the spot where he stood at the bar.

"I'm sure your brother will explain this better than I can," she told him quickly, before he could speak. "I'm sorry you have a problem with women – but I'm not going to hang around and let all your negativity rub off on me."

Klaus' bottom lip shook. "Caroline."

"No, seriously. It's not happening anymore – the weird moments and the flirts and the kiss – it has to stop. We need to work together properly."

There was a brief silence, but then Klaus' dull look lightened. "Whatever you wish, love," he drawled at her, and smirked. "So, friends?"

Caroline's heart lifted, and she smiled back at him. "Friends," she agreed. She told him that she would see him in the office on Monday, and then started walking out of the bar, before he could comment that he would pick her up or that she had to be at his apartment. She turned back, and waggled her fingers in his direction as she walked out of the door.

"Friends," Klaus repeated, swirling the liquid around in his tumbler. "For now."


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N: **Big thanks to the lovely reviews today! And an ESPECIAL big thanks to the wonderful guest who left me such nice long reviews, whoever you are, you really spurred me to continue! Leave your name next time :D Much love!

* * *

_Chapter Seven_

After Caroline and Klaus managed to resolve their love-hate feelings, Caroline was glad to discover that things were settling back down to normal. For the last several weeks, everything had been going smoothly – there were no awkward comments, stares, or reproachful feelings. Caroline did everything by the books, and was out of the office before Klaus could offer her a lift home.

As much as she hadn't been looking forward to working in the back office with Klaus, she discovered that it wasn't as bad as she had thought. It had its own private elevator, so she _never _had to wait for it to arrive. The office also had its own kitchenette, so she didn't have to fight over the kettle with Logan Fell, who generally spent most of his office time making coffee in the communal kitchen, and complaining about anyone else who tried to make use of the services. They were either too messy, used too much of the coffee, or they didn't have the decency to put the milk back in the fridge. So it was blissful to be able to just wander into the kitchen without having to face Logan's wrath.

But the thing she enjoyed most about working in the private office was that she had absolutely no distraction. Even though Klaus had originally told her not to accept jobs from other members of the office, it really was easier said than done. The other employees had begun to grow aware of when Klaus was out of office, or at a seminar or a meeting, and used that time to slyly ask Caroline to do little jobs for them. It was her own fault really, as she occasionally did the odd job for Lexi, the other employees thought that she was available to drop everything and do a 'little job'. Only those 'little jobs' often multiplied, and Caroline would find herself struggling to keep up with her own work.

So it was completely heavenly to have no one sidling up to her and dropping random tasks on her desk. She could work her way through whatever Klaus asked her to do, and as a result of this, she was becoming a lot better at her job. Klaus had commented multiple times the last few weeks that she had been blossoming within the company, and Caroline was beginning to hope that a pay rise might be around the corner.

Even though she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't let her confusing feelings for her boss get in the way, she couldn't help but notice that there was a severe lack of dates in his personal planner during the last few weeks. She usually had to make arrangements for Klaus with up to five dates with five different women per week, but his evenings had been pretty clear for a while now, apart from spending the occasional night with one of his brothers. Caroline had rolled her eyes expressively to discover that one evening he had plans with Rebekah, and had only hoped she hadn't come up in conversation that night.

Despite the fact that she was determined to not care about Klaus' personal life, she couldn't help but feel slightly glad, deep down, that he wasn't still entertaining so many random girls each week – but she definitely wasn't going to let on to him that this was the case.

She was eating her lunch in the office and looking at a holiday page on the computer, when Klaus strolled back in after his quick coffee break with Elijah. He immediately wandered over to where she was, and leant over her shoulder.

"The Hamptons, hmm?" he commented. Caroline could see his smirking face in the reflection of the computer, and she privately rolled her eyes.

"Elena and I want to spend the spring shutdown there," she replied to Klaus. The shutdown was the initial spring week at the beginning of March, where most of the staff at the company was given the week off work. There would just be a skeletal staff hanging around, running the show (Caroline had been delighted to discover that Logan would be spending the shutdown period at work). "We must be the only people in New York who haven't been able to get anywhere to stay," she muttered, scrolling through the page mindlessly. She had been looking on this page for a while, and still hadn't managed to find anywhere that was quite cheap, and near to the house where Lexi and the Salvatores would be staying. They were all planning to meet up there and spend the week together, but it would be pretty pointless if they all ended up at opposite ends of the Hamptons.

"What do you mean? I'm sure there's plenty of sharing lodges you can stay in."

Caroline spun around in her chair, and gave Klaus a meaningful look. "Crummy showers and no hot water? Or anywhere to plug in my flat iron – seriously? Do I look like a lodge kind of girl to you?"

Klaus grinned. "Of course not." He wandered over to his desk. "I've never cared much for the Hamptons, personally. I prefer sightseeing over sunbathing. Have you ever been to the Hamptons?"

Caroline continued to scroll through the page. "No. I'd never left Mystic Falls until I came to New York – so you can understand why I would want to stay somewhere where I have access to a hairdryer at all times," she groaned, and shut the page down. "Do you know anywhere we could rent last minute?" she asked him. Klaus, being the big city business man that he was, should surely know something as trivial as holiday homes in the Hamptons.

"I have a house in the Hamptons," Klaus replied. Caroline continued to stare at him, her eyebrows raised. "What?" he added, with a small laugh.

"Bragging really isn't your most attractive look, Klaus," Caroline murmured.

He offered her a lazy smirk. "Oh really? What is my most attractive look?"

Caroline found herself trying to supress a humoured smile, but decided to ignore the flirt. "You _just _said you don't care for the Hamptons – why on earth would you purchase a house there?"

"My parents own a network of property up there. Along with our fortunes, most of us were given a section of property – mine just happened to be one of their Hampton Manors."

"_Manor?"_ spluttered Caroline, though she didn't know why she sounded so surprised – of course he had a manor in the Hamptons. His prestigious family probably had houses all over the globe. "You were really born with a silver spoon in your mouth, huh?"

Klaus scoffed. "Do you want to spend your week in my Hampton house, or not?"

Caroline blinked at him, her forehead creased. "I would, Klaus. But I can't afford to rent a _manor_."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do you _really _think I would make you pay?" he replied. "Go to the Hamptons with your friends. I don't expect a penny out of you."

"I'm not staying in your house for free," she muttered.

"Okay, well, you can pay me by...coming out for a drink with me when you get back?" Now it was Caroline's turn to raise an eyebrow. But, before she could remind Klaus about the agreement they had just a handful of weeks earlier, he continued. "Just as friends, of course."

She smiled. "Okay. Just as friends."

* * *

After work, Caroline had met Elena at the subway station and they walked to a nearby diner to grab something for dinner. She was ecstatic to tell Elena that she had managed to arrange somewhere for them to stay during spring week – well, somewhere that Klaus had given her for a week.

When she explained the situation to Elena, there was a humoured smile playing on her lips. "Wait, wait, wait – your boyfriend is letting you stay in his fancy Hampton home – for free?"

Caroline kicked her sharply under the table. "Stop calling him my boyfriend! He's my boss!" she hissed. "But yes," she added in a primmer tone. "He is letting us stay in Hampton home, so be grateful."

"I don't know if I want to stay in his house, Caroline. What if he wants something in return?" she wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully as she said this last bit, and Caroline glared at her.

"He's my boss," she repeated. "He's just offering, because I was having so much trouble trying to find somewhere for us to stay while you were busy doing your work experience!" Elena had initially struggled to get a job when they moved to New York, but eventually she'd managed to get a retail job at Macy's. However, her true passion was in journalism, and after practically begging every newspaper for the last two years, the New Yorker had finally allowed her to intern for them. It wasn't really a difficult job – she spent most of her time at the moment running around after the journalists making them coffee, but her senior had promised she could write an article sometime soon. "I promise there's nothing dodgy about this, Elena. All that…weird stuff from before…is completely over. We have a great working relationship, now."

"Well, that's a good thing, because Lexi said that Kol was talking about joining us at the Hamptons, too," Elena replied. During the last several weeks, Caroline had started to invite Elena along to the bar when Lexi invited her out, and as a result she had made friends with everyone, too. "I'm sure he will definitely be up for a weekend by the sea with you."

Caroline rolled her eyes expressively. She hated that Elena was very much Team Kol, despite his previous behaviour. "Nothing is going to happen with Kol," she replied stiffly. "Surely this is the thousandth time I've told you – but whatever we did on _that _day was completely by accident, and it will _never_, ever happen again."

Elena didn't respond, instead just laughed at her. "Whatever. Anyway, you need to stop your super busy life during the weekend so we can go shopping. Somehow I think we're going to need new swimwear for the Hamptons!"

* * *

Back in Manhattan, Klaus was still in the office. He had allowed Caroline to leave early when she had finished up everything, and he could tell she was itching to tell her friend that she had somewhere for them to stay in the Hamptons.

It was getting to be around seven, but he still wasn't planning on going home yet. Going home meant rattling around that empty apartment alone, and when he did that, he usually ended up calling someone over – and he was trying to abstain from that kind of behaviour. He and Caroline were managing to uphold a great working relationship at the present, and he didn't want to ruin it. Even though she had assured him she wasn't going to take an interest in his private life anymore, he just didn't believe that she could push aside her feelings that way.

So, he had taken Elijah's advice, and admitted his true feelings. He slept with random girls because he was alone. And now, everytime he considered reaching into his black book when he was feeling lonely, he pushed the urge aside, and thought about Caroline.

Because even though he still hadn't quite established his feelings for her, he knew that he didn't want her to act unusual around him like she had previously – or worse, quit her job.

While he was leaning back on his chair, looking over at Caroline's empty desk, Elijah walked through the door. "Evening, Klaus," he greeted, sitting down at Caroline's seat.

"Anything I can do for you, brother?" Klaus muttered, twiddling a pen through his fingers. He could hear Kol lingering outside the door, and he _really _hoped that Elijah wasn't here to insist they went for another brotherly bonding session.

"Nothing, nothing. I come bearing the yearly invitation from our mother," Elijah reached into his pocket and withdrew a glimmering gold envelope with Klaus' full name printed on the front in neat italics, and dropped it on the desk. Klaus took one look at the envelope and groaned loudly, reaching up to grab his hair in frustration. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Niklaus," Elijah continued. "You know your presence is necessary."

"No it is not," Klaus hissed back. The envelope was something that Klaus and the rest of his siblings had received annually since they fled the nest, and it held an invitation to the Charity Gala that their mother held at their estate in the Hamptons, every spring. Klaus _hated _going, partially because he didn't care to be forced to fraternize with all the relatives and old family friends, but mainly because it was the one social event that Esther insisted their father attended.

Klaus had absolutely no desire to interact with his father – who wasn't even actually his father. Klaus' mother had an affair during her marriage to Mikael, and nine months later, Klaus arrived. For his early childhood, Mikael acted the same way to Klaus as he did to the rest of his children – but as soon as Esther confessed her infidelity, Mikael seemed to take it out on Klaus.

Nevertheless, this always meant for uncomfortable conversation at family gatherings. Mikael almost _always _started an argument with Klaus once he'd had a few drinks.

"Even if I wanted to come along to Mother's wonderful little party, I couldn't," Klaus muttered, shooting Elijah a glare. "You've reminded me a tad too late, brother – I just handed my Hampton home to Caroline for shutdown week."

Unfortunately for Klaus, Elijah looked disinterested. He gave Klaus an impassive stare, and stood up. "If you don't turn up, Mother will be very upset. I suggest you sort something out immediately – you know about this _all _year, there really isn't any excuse."

As Elijah walked out of the office, Klaus rolled his eyes dramatically. The last thing he wanted to do was attend the Charity Gala – much less be in the Hamptons at all.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

Caroline and Elena had just climbed out of the cab that had taken them from the coach station to Klaus' Hampton house. They pulled their suitcases out of the trunk, and then stood back to take a look at the huge house. Elena clutched her sunhat to her head as the cab sped off, and her mouth fell open. "How rich is this guy?" she asked.

Caroline just rolled her eyes, and started walking up the path to the huge, glass double doors. It was a huge house, made almost entirely from windows and boards of dark red wood. It was two stories high, with a grand balcony on both the front and the back of the building, and a wide, rectangular pool in the garden. The back balcony had a stunning sea view, and both Elena and Caroline were utterly in awe as they wandered around the house.

Caroline was surprised to discover that it was all fully furnished, right down to the scatter cushions on all the beds. To say that Klaus didn't spend time there, he certainly kept it tidy. Caroline automatically chose the biggest bedroom, and she and Elena decided quickly to unpack their things, and get straight down to the pool.

Before she dashed down to the pool, though, she took a moment to sit on the edge of the double bed, and admire the room. It was furnished with red and soft grey colours, and Caroline was immediately reminded of the charcoal suit and crimson shirt that Klaus had worn on the first night she met him. She wondered, absently, if this was the bedroom that he slept in on the few times he was in the Hamptons.

Then, a worse thought crept into her mind – was this the room that Klaus brought all of his Hampton bimbos up to?

She shuddered, and jumped off the bed, brushing herself down. After quickly changing into something a little bit more comfortable, she headed down to the poolside.

As they sat down on lounge chairs by the pool, Caroline conveyed an idea she'd been thinking about on her way down the stairs. "I think we should throw a party," she told Elena.

Elena laughed. "Our party's always go terrible wrong, Caroline," she replied. "And is it a good idea, throwing a party in your _boss's _house?"

"Not a _party _party," responded Caroline. "Like a gathering. Oh, we could have punch!"

"And who are we going to invite to this fabulous gathering, you know – aside from the three people that we already know are out here in the Hamptons with us?"

"I'll call Lexi," Caroline continued. "She knows _loads _of people. Everyone in the city is out at the Hamptons for the first week of spring – it'll be great."

Elena held up her hands in defeat. "Sure – go right ahead. You're right, it could be fun – and who knows, we might not be able to get out to the Hamptons again, any time soon."

Caroline squealed with excitement, and sat up on her lounge chair, digging out her mobile phone. She decided that two in the afternoon was a good time to start the pool party, and dialled Lexi's telephone number.

As soon as she had given Lexi the address, Caroline jumped up and dragged Elena back into the kitchen. "We need to make punch, so we need to go to the supermarket," she told her. "Let's _go_ – only three hours until it's time to party!"

"Why did you have to throw a party already – we only just got here!" Elena moaned, but she was grinning. Just as Caroline was about to retaliate, the French doors opened, and Kol sauntered over to them. He was wearing a polo shirt and aviator sunglasses, and somehow he had already managed to top up his tan.

"Kol!" Caroline greeted. "So, you decided to come out here after all?"

Kol walked over to Elena and gave her a warm hug, pushing her back up against the counter. "Couldn't miss it – and I've already heard from Lexi that you're throwing a party?" Caroline nodded as Kol pulled off his sunglasses and tucked them into the neck of his shirt. "Great – I already took the liberty of inviting some of my friends."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "_Your _friends?" she repeated. Elena was giving her a sideways look, too – clearly they were both thinking the same thing. Just what kind of friends was Kol planning on bringing? Quickly, she pushed the worry out of her mind. Elena and her other friends would be there, so she would have backup if Kol decided to start dishing powder out amongst the gathering, and aside from that, she had hope for him. He had been working closely with Elijah since Caroline had been dragged to the back offices with Kol, so she was pretty sure he could make better choices, nowadays.

He nodded at her slowly, with a mocking smile on his face. "Did I hear you say you needed to go to the supermarket?" he beckoned towards the windows, where he'd parked his sleek black car outside. "Grab your purses, ladies, I'll drive you," he spun the keys around his thumb and forefinger. "Oh! But before I forget," he reached into his coat pocket, withdrawing a shiny gold envelope. "It's an invitation for this Charity Gala event in East Hamptons," he told her, as Caroline took the envelope from Kol, turning it over in her hands. "It's pretty dire, but there'll be tonnes of free champagne."

"Sure," Caroline tossed the envelope on the counter top, without opening it. "Let's go."

* * *

Several hours later, and Caroline's pool party was in full swing.

She and Elena were laying out bowls of fruit on the tables outside, where she was insisting they kept the party, much to Kol's displeasure. He had tried to sneak inside with a bunch of his friends multiple times, but Caroline was keeping the doors firmly locked. She could tell that Kol just wanted to get inside to cause trouble, or probably so that he could gloat later on that he'd thrown a party in Klaus's house, but Caroline wasn't having any of it.

She was sipping minute amounts of punch, and stalking around the party in her sunflower yellow bikini, determined not to let anything get out of hand. The party was really chilled out, with the guests lounging around on the sunbeds, playing volleyball in the pool, and sipping punch at the little outdoor tables. Caroline was thrilled to see just how perfectly it was going, with not one mishap so far.

She had even spotted Elena getting extremely cosy with Stefan's brother, Damon. In a shadowy corner of the garden, there was a swinging loveseat, and Caroline could clearly see the pair of them making out fiercely while the seat swayed back and forth. Caroline grinned – it was about time that New York gave Elena something for Caroline to poke fun at – she was starting to get tired of being the one that Elena was always teasing.

But, Caroline would leave her to it, now. When Elena came up for air, she gave her friend a coy wave, and she broke away from Damon.

As Elena caught up to her, Caroline was walking over to a particularly smoky area of the garden, where she was almost sure Kol was sitting in the middle of. "Stoner pit alert," she muttered to Elena as they reached the group, which unsurprisingly had Kol as the ringleader, clutching a plastic bong made from an old Coca Cola bottle. Uncaring that she was making a scene, she reached over to him and snatched the dirty bong from his hands.

"Caroline, calm down," Kol slurred, and his friends sniggered. "Come on, join us."

"Not going to happen," she hissed, and handed the bong to Elena, nodding towards the trash can for her to dispose it in. "Why are you trying to ruin it, Kol? You don't need to bring drugs into everything, you know. You _knew _I didn't want this stuff at my party."

Kol raised his eyebrows, and looked around at his friends. "_Your_ party? This is my house, sweet."

"No, it's Klaus's house."

"Whatever," Kol replied, and she noticed that he was reaching into his pocket, and pulled out a packet of cigarette papers. Clearly, he wasn't going to bother listening to her, so she tried a different tactic.

"Please, Kol," begged Caroline. "If Klaus finds out you've been using drugs on his property, he'll go _crazy_. He already doesn't like us being friends, but he puts up with it. If you cause anymore trouble, I can't stay friends with you – and I _really _don't want that."

Kol's mocking expression faltered, and he stepped away from his group, and he and Caroline wandered a little way away from them. "I'll make a deal with you," he offered. Caroline raised her eyebrows, waiting. "I'll stop smoking around the party, if you come to the Charity Gala with me. As my date."

Caroline scoffed. Surely he was joking? But when she looked back at him, his face was deadly serious, so she rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine. We'll go together."

"Not just together, Caroline. As my _date_. As in, we have to dance together, and when I'm showing you the fountains we'll have a kiss." Caroline continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"Calm down, Kol – there'll be none of that."

"Worth a try," Kol replied with a smirk. "Agreed?"

Caroline sighed. What did it matter, really? If she agreed to go with him, Kol would stop smoking junk around the party, and she would have someone to go with (as it was becoming increasingly obvious that Elena would be going with Damon). So she stuck her hand out and shook his. "Agreed," she muttered.

* * *

The next morning, Caroline woke up feeling wonderful. She had thrown a spectacular party, with little to no mishaps, and she hadn't even gotten remotely drunk – but she still had a great laugh. She'd managed to ask everyone to leave by ten, so that she and Elena could get to sleep, and no one had been sick anywhere in the garden. It was a complete success.

She sat up in bed, smiling to herself. She was in the Hamptons! Her first holiday since she'd moved to New York, and it was already proving to be amazing. The sun was beaming down, the spring air wasn't too hot or too cold, and she _really _fancied pancakes for breakfast.

So, she climbed out of bed and pulled on her robe, before wandering downstairs. The first thing she spotted was the golden envelope on the countertop, which she knew held the invitation. She switched on the kettle, and slit the envelope open neatly with a knife. The invitation was made from very thick, parchment type paper, and had been written out neatly in golden ink. Her eyes flickered down through the arrival time and the address, until she spotted the name at the bottom of the page.

_Esther Mikaelson_. Caroline raised her eyebrows. She had never heard Klaus or Kol mention their mother, much less her name, but it surely wasn't a coincidence. Mikaelson definitely wasn't a common name, and how likely was it that there was more than one ridiculously rich Mikaelson in New York?

Pursing her lips, Caroline wondered why Kol hadn't let onto her that this event was being ran by his mother – and if this was a Gala by the mother, wasn't Klaus attending? She strained her mind, trying to conjure up Klaus's personal planner in her mind, but she couldn't place a Charity Gala.

Right at that moment, her mobile phone started ringing. She picked it up, looking at the contact that was flashing up on the screen – it was Klaus.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

Elena came down the stairs at about lunchtime, with her hair mussed and yesterday's eye make-up smudged under her eyes. She was dressed in shorts and a baggy t-shirt, and had her rucksack slung over her shoulder. As she entered the kitchen, she raised her eyebrows at Caroline.

Caroline was on her hands and knees by the French doors, hastily scrubbing footprints from the tiled floor. As she turned around to dunk the sponge back into a bowl of soapy water, she caught Elena's eye.

"You're stress-cleaning," Elena pointed out. It was something that Caroline did often when she was frustrated or strained. There was cleaning, and then there was Caroline's stress-cleaning, which involved washing away stains or marks that only she seemed able to see. At Elena's remark, Caroline rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the floor, removing the sponge from the bowl.

Elena sniggered to herself, and then made to walk past Caroline to get outside. However, just as she did so, she screamed in shock, causing Caroline to flinch and tip the bowl of water everywhere. "What?!" she gasped, trying to catch the water bowl – it was too late however, as it had already spilled and spread across the kitchen floor. She looked up at Elena, who had a hand over her heart, but was laughing breathlessly, looking through the French doors. Caroline followed her gaze, and then tried to suppress a groan. Klaus was standing on the other side of the glass, smirking lazily down at Caroline.

It was strange to see him out of work attire – he was wearing khaki mid-length shorts, and an open necked white shirt. He had a pair of dark sunglasses on, and was holding two black garment bags over his shoulder.

Caroline struggled to her feet, trying to hop over the puddle of water, and unlocked the door. Klaus stalked in, throwing his car keys and the two garment bags on the counter island, and proceeded to make himself a drink.

"…okay," Elena muttered. She turned to Caroline. "I'm going out for the day."

"Oh, really?" Caroline winked dramatically. "To meet _Damon_, I assume?"

Elena poked her. "Shut up. He's a nice guy."

"I do wish you had gone for Stefan, though. Poor guy always seems to just be trailing around after Lexi, it would do him good to get a girlfriend."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, why don't you go steady with him then, if you love him so much? Oh, yeah…" Elena gave Klaus's back a meaningful look, and Caroline shoved her playfully.

"Oh, get out then," she grumbled, but she was grinning. "Make sure you're at the Charity Gala at seven!" she shouted, as Elena hurried out, holding her hand up in passing. Caroline watched until Elena had walked all the way around the corner, and then turned around. Klaus was sitting at the counter island, a glass of orange juice in his hand. He had removed his sunglasses, and was watching Caroline intently.

"I see you received my mother's invitation," he commented, nodding at the golden envelope on the counter. Caroline stalked over to him, and folded it up neatly.

"I got it from Kol. He failed to mention it was a family event – and _you _failed to mention it to me at work."

"I told you on the phone, Caroline – I forgot," he took a long sip of his juice. "Anyway – I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked you to stay here."

"Yeah, about that," Caroline looked at her fingernails. "I thought you said you were going to stay at one of your other places?" she felt awkward questioning Klaus, when this was _his _house, but she knew it would be much more awkward if they had to live together for the next week. As if he could read her mind, Klaus was smirking in her direction. She gave him a pointed glare before he could make a sarcastic remark.

"Well, Kol is staying in one establishment. Our parents live in one, Finn and Sage will be in one, then Rebekah and her little assistants will be in another. That only leaves here and Elijah's," Klaus gave a mock shudder. "Kol will most likely be cutting cocaine as we speak. Finn and Sage…never got on with Finn. There's _no _way I'm staying with my mother and father, or with Rebekah."

"Elijah?" Caroline offered.

"Too much of a buzzkill," Klaus responded. "Elijah forgets that there are such things as holidays, something which I intend to have while I'm out here."

"Oh, you're going to stay here the whole week?" Caroline said, before she could stop herself. He cocked an eyebrow, the smirk still playing on his lips.

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Caroline?" Her cheeks flamed, but he didn't give her chance to reply. "I simply don't see the point in going back into the city to rattle around in my apartment for a week. Yes, I hate the Hamptons, but you're here, so there's some perks."

Caroline felt her stomach do a flip, as he bored into her with those icy blue eyes. "I'm going to go for a walk," she said quickly, standing up and grabbing her purse.

"Well, I'll come with you," Klaus replied, and Caroline rolled her eyes while his back was turned. Alone time was going to be hard to get, now that Klaus was around.

It took less than ten minutes to get onto the beach, and Caroline drunk in the beauty of it instantly. Whilst she lived in Mystic Falls, there had been no coast, only her family lakehouse a few miles out of the town. Visiting the seaside was never something that Caroline had done during her childhood, so this was truly a first. She took her sandals off as they reached the sand, and let her toes slide into the warm sand.

It was truly beautiful. Sure, she had seen the sea from the balcony back at Klaus' house, but it was different to be right in front of it, drinking in the watery, blue-green sight. She could see the sea for as far as the eye could stretch, and it was crazy to think that the island of Bermuda was some thousands of miles ahead of her. She sighed, happily.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Klaus asked, bringing her back to the present moment. She looked up, and realised that Klaus had been staring at her, the whole time.

"You should be looking at the view," she told him, but there was a smile tugging the corners of her lips.

Klaus stretched, and grinned. "I've seen a thousand coasts, and I've seen as many seas and oceans as I need to. But there's only one of you, Caroline."

Caroline looked at her feet, so that her hair hung over her face. She never really knew how to react when Klaus came out with these cheesy statements, but she couldn't deny it was…sweet of him. "I was thinking about Bermuda," she mumbled. "In answer to your question."

"Bermuda?" Klaus asked, sounding confused. Caroline nodded towards the sea.

"Bermuda, it's in that direction."

"Ah. Have you been to Bermuda?"

Caroline shook her head. "I never left Mystic Falls, until I came here."

"I think you would love it," Klaus suddenly sat down in the sand, and pulled Caroline down with him. "It's the jewel of the Atlantic; there are beaches of pink sand, and it's always hot in Bermuda. The sea is clear blue, and every hillside is green and bursting with colour." Caroline closed her eyes as Klaus spoke. His British accent was hypnotising; she could almost visualise the island. She was sure that if she opened her eyes, she would find herself lounging on the tropical beach, with the coral blue sea in front of her. "I could take you, if you wanted."

Caroline snapped her eyes open, and looked at him. He was staring out at the sea. She wanted to question why he was acting so sentimental with her, when he was normally making sarcastic comments and sneering at her. It was like a different Klaus had stepped out of the city and arrived in the Hamptons. She didn't question him, however. He was in too much of an unusual mood for Caroline to pass up on.

"Why did you not want to come to the Gala?" Caroline asked, remembering how reluctant Klaus had sounded on the phone.

"It's the only event that Mother insists _everyone _comes to. That means my father's presence is required there just as much as the rest of us. Let's just say, he and I haven't always seen eye to eye."

"Oh?" Caroline thought of her own father. He had divorced her mother when Caroline was young, due to coming out as gay and having had an affair with another man. However, he was always lovely to Caroline, and she had loved staying with him and Stephen (his new husband) during the weekends. Whilst she sometimes wished that he hadn't left her mother, she couldn't say she hated him. Judging by the way Klaus lowered his voice, there was more to his story than just not seeing eye to eye. He looked over at her.

"Do you really want to hear this?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," Caroline replied, wondering why he would ask.

"I had a great early childhood with my father," he began. "He loved me just as much as he loved all my other siblings. But then my mother had a miscarriage, when I was about seven or eight. She was in such emotional turmoil that she confessed something to my father – well, to all of us," he took a breath. "She told us that Mikael wasn't my real father, as she had an affair and became pregnant with me. Mikael forgave her almost immediately, but he seemed to take out his frustration on me. I became a target for his anger and distress, and was constantly forced to take the brunt of his reactions. I spent my entire life being emotionally abused by my father, right up until I left home with Elijah. But even then, he still treats me like vermin whenever we are in the same room together – hence why I can't stand going to this damned Charity Gala."

Caroline was silent when he finished speaking. There was something so raw about what he had just told her – she almost couldn't believe that this was the same person as her snarky British boss. She felt pity for him welling in her stomach; all this time she had thought he was just an arrogant (if not extremely attractive) bastard, who sought solstice in other women on lonely nights – and it was becoming a lot clearer why he acted this way.

His admission only made Caroline feel a jolt closer to him, and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"You didn't have to tell me that, Klaus," she told him, in a soft voice.

"Yes, I did. I trust you, Caroline," he replied. "I've been looking for someone to talk to for a long time." His eyes were continuing to bore into hers, and Caroline felt undeniably attached to him. It was as though he had opened a door within himself, and he was beginning to reel her in slowly. Their faces were inching closer. It was all too much for Caroline; the sea; the sand; the smell of Klaus's musk. Her eyes finally closed, and she felt Klaus's warm mouth press gently against hers.

She allowed him to kiss her for a few minutes, relishing in the strange emotions she was feeling. This was different to the heated, possessive kiss that he had inflicted on her outside her apartment all those weeks ago. It was gentle, careful. Finally, the fog in her head unclouded, replacing it with the familiar confusion that she had felt before, and she turned her face away from him, and he didn't pursue it.

"I'm glad you're going to the Charity Gala," he said after a few silent moments. "It'll make it bearable; having my personal assistant there," the sneer had crept back into his voice, and Caroline smiled at her knees.

"It'll be a lot more bearable if you buy me a drink while we're there?" she hinted cheekily.

"I can do one better than that," Klaus replied. "Would you care to come with me; as my date?"

Caroline's face fell. "Oh…Klaus…"

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry…I already accepted someone else's offer," Caroline found herself chewing her bottom lip. "When I didn't realise you were going to be here. _Before _I even realised it was your mother's Gala—"

"—who is it?" Klaus cut over her, smoothly. The gentle tone in his voice had evaporated; replaced with a steel exterior.

"Kol," Caroline replied quickly, and suddenly she felt cold. Klaus' jaw tightened, and whatever attachment she had felt to him earlier was gone, the line holding them together snipped neatly in half.

"I see," he replied, stiffly. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time together," and with that last note, Klaus climbed to his feet and walked away, before Caroline could say anything. She groaned in frustration, and flung herself back into the sand. How could she have let this happen, _again_? They had only just pushed aside the awkwardness from before.

* * *

Caroline didn't head back to Klaus' house until the sky was starting to darken, and she was surprised that he hadn't had the locks changed in her absence.

She soon discovered that he wasn't home, and she was mildly glad. She had less than an hour to prepare for the Gala, before Kol arrived to pick her up. As she clambered up the stairs, she tried to think of the dresses she had brought with her – none of which were appropriate for a _Gala_. However, she didn't have long to worry about it, as when she arrived in her bedroom, one of the garment bags was lying on her bedspread.

There was a note pinned to the hanger, which Caroline pulled off and read. _'_

_I brought this along with me, under the assumption you wouldn't be aware of Mother's dress code. I hope you have a wonderful evening. –Klaus.'_

Caroline carefully unzipped the garment bag, and removed the cellophane wrapping that was beneath. When she had removed the dress and laid it out on her bed, she stepped back, placing a hand to her lips in shock.

It was the most beautiful dress that Caroline had ever seen, with the simplest elegance she could imagine. It was made entirely from a floaty, pale blue silk, floor length with a modest bodice, and satin blue sleeves over the shoulders. Attached to the bodice at the back, and connected to the skirt, was a long, cape-like expanse of the silky material, giving it a flowing, mythical type of look.

Caroline hugged the dress, hating herself for not being Klaus' date. He had spent an unfeasible amount of money on this dress, clearly.

And she would be wearing it alongside his little brother.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

While Caroline was waiting for Kol that evening, she had begun to wonder if she really wanted to go to the Gala. As she paced back and forth in the kitchen, wearing her sparkly new dress, she couldn't help but wish that she hadn't already agreed to go with Kol.

For a start, Kol was late. They were due to arrive at seven, and it was now half seven, and he had only just pulled up outside the house. He was in a different car than usual; a wide, black monstrosity, with the top down and music blaring out. When Caroline rushed outside, she noticed that he wasn't even dressed for the occasion. Instead of wearing a tuxedo like the invitation specified, Kol was dressed in the same shorts and polo shirt combination he had been wearing to her party the previous night. He was wearing sunglasses even though it was getting dark, but worst of all, there was someone sat next to him in the front seat.

A girl with cropped dark hair and coffee coloured skin was sitting beside him, leaning over the gearstick and whispering something in his ear. She was wearing a very short black dress, and Kol was resting his hand on her upper thigh, and sniggering at whatever it was she was saying.

Caroline was mortified. She knew she would look ridiculous with those two on either side of her, when she was wearing a ball gown. For a moment, she considered storming away from Kol and not going to the Gala at all, but then she remembered Klaus. He was probably in a terrible mood with her, but despite that, he was still expecting to see her there in the ball gown. And Caroline couldn't bear the thought of not trying to resolve things with him, especially after he had told her about his father.

It was too late to call a cab, and everyone else she knew would be at the Gala already. So she had no choice but to stiffen her back and climb awkwardly into the back of Kol's car.

It was a nightmare. She soon learned that Kol had already been drinking, and so had his friend. They barely paid Caroline any attention as he drove to his mother's home, not that it would have mattered anyway. Kol sped the car down the roads so fast that the wind roared in her ears, and on top of that, the music was deafening. Luckily they weren't in the car for too long, and they screeched to a halt within ten minutes.

The girl stalked elegantly out of the car, slamming the door shut before Caroline could climb out. She stalked towards the gate, muttering something about going for a smoke before they went inside. Kol offered Caroline a grin, and then made to walk inside.

"Kol, wait!" Caroline called, still sat in the back of the car. Kol automatically assumed she just needed a hand getting out, and nodded, walking back towards her. He pulled the car door open and held his hand out to her. Reluctantly, she grabbed it, and let him yank her out. "I want to talk to you," she muttered.

"Sure, what's up?" he replied, leaning back against the car and giving her a lazy smile.

"I thought I was supposed to be coming here as your _date_?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You are," he replied.

"So what about long-legs over there?" hissed Caroline, nodding towards the girl in the short dress, who was stood by the doorway with a cigarette hanging from her mouth.

Kol cocked an eyebrow, his grin widening. "Caroline, are you jealous?" He leaned closer to her, his eyes flickering towards her lips.

Caroline didn't flinch. "You wish."

"So what is it?"

Caroline sighed. "Klaus came by earlier. He wanted me to come here with him, and I had to say no because I was coming here with you. And what a waste of time that was!"

Kol rolled his eyes. "Come on, babe."

Caroline scoffed, and shoved him out of the way. She stomped up the steps towards the double doors, wishing more than ever that she had taken Klaus up on his offer.

* * *

The Gala was glitzier than Caroline could have ever imagined. When she entered, the huge grand hallway had been swathed in purple and navy silk, and there were candles everywhere instead of electric lights, giving a soft, amber light across the whole entryway. Caroline was glad to discover that everyone else was wearing exquisite ball gowns and fancy hair, but she _was _the only person to enter alone.

Everywhere she looked was couples. Holding hands; whispering into each other's ears; laughing over private jokes. It was definitely a couple's event, and Caroline suddenly felt extremely stupid. She knew there were eyes on her; these high class people wondering why she had just stormed in alone.

A tall, auburn haired woman slid up beside Caroline, slipping a tall glass of champagne into her hand. She was wearing a dress made from dark green velvet with long sleeves – it was very plain, but somehow looked flawless. Caroline recognised her as the woman who had stood on the balcony with Rebekah, the first night that she had met Klaus. "I'm Esther," she introduced smoothly. Her pink lips stretched into a small smile, accentuating the wrinkles around her eyes. "Aren't you – Caroline?"

Caroline responded her smile and nodded. "Yes – nice to meet you."

"Rebekah has already gone in. I take it you are here with her?"

Caroline's eyebrows shot up her forehead. She didn't expect Esther to recognise her, and especially didn't expect her to have an interest in Rebekah's working life. "Oh – no, I'm not here with Rebekah."

Esther nodded. "Yes, Niklaus mentioned that Kol would be coming with a Caroline. So, where is my youngest son?"

This was getting more and more awkward by the minute. She gestured towards the doorway. "He's out there. He – er – brought someone else with him, too."

Esther rolled her eyes dramatically, and took a sip of her champagne. "That boy. Oh well, you can come inside with me. I was just on my way inside anyway."

Caroline nodded, and allowed Esther to lead her into the ball room.

It was a magnificent room. It was enormous, with candles adorning every well and the enormous, crystal chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling. There was a bar – an actual bar – across the back wall, and the left hand side had an exit to the gardens, where there was a great fountain, a stage and several hundred plastic chairs in front of it. One wall inside the ball room had a large buffet table, complete with a giant spread of nibbles, but no one seemed to be eating.

Caroline was glad that the candlelight made the whole place look dim, instead of a blaring light which usually meant that awkward eye contact was made. The candlelight meant that Caroline spent more time gazing at the shimmering dresses the ladies wore, instead of their judgemental faces.

The skirt of a particularly shimmering dress swept into Caroline's vision, and she looked up to see who the owner was. She was greeted by a familiar brown-eyed face, attached to the longest legs in the world. "Caroline!" her smooth, European accent greeted.

"Nadia," Caroline replied, a little stunned. "Wow, it's – er – great to see you."

Esther smiled at Nadia, and snuck away, leaving Caroline with her old workmate.

Nadia was dressed from head to toe in a shimmering, glittery black gown. It was sleeveless, exposing her sharp collarbones, and an exquisite diamond necklace sparkled around her throat. "How nice it is to see you," she exclaimed, leaning over and giving Caroline an awkward, one-armed hug. "You look…" she eyed Caroline up and down, "…adorable."

Caroline suddenly had a sense of déjà vu as she remembered the ball that they had both gone to, back when Caroline worked for Rebekah. She pursed her lips, and then looked towards the bar. "Right. Well, I'll see you around, Nadia," just as she was about to sidle out of Nadia's view, someone slid up beside her, holding two drinks.

It was Klaus.

He had been looking at Nadia, Caroline quickly realised. But it wasn't long before his eyes fell on Caroline. His eyes scanned her up and down, drinking in her appearance. "Caroline," he murmured.

Caroline felt heat rising in her cheeks. Her gaze fell to his feet, trying not to concentrate too much on how great he looked in that tux. "Klaus," she replied.

"Where is my brother?" he asked, his voice sounding stiff. When Caroline flicked her eyes back up to his face, she noticed that Nadia was eyeing him with an unusual look in her eye. She swiftly took one of the glasses out of his hand, and stalked towards a gaggle of women at the other side of the room.

"He's outside," Caroline replied quietly, "with his date."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "But you're in here, Caroline."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline explained her evening so far to Klaus. When she finished, she was relieved to see that Klaus no longer looked so stern; there was a smirk upon his features. "You should have known that Kol would pull a stunt like that."

"What about you, anyway? You came with _Nadia_?" Caroline replied, trying to avert the attention.

"Well, the person I had hoped to arrive with was otherwise engaged," Klaus murmured with a smirk. "I needed a date quick, and my sister had someone who was without one. Who did you enter with, if Kol was too busy?"

"Your mother," responded Caroline, and then found herself sniggering. Klaus laughed too, and took a drink of his champagne. Caroline took a small mouthful of hers too, and then they were left in a moment of silence. "So, are we friends again?" she asked in a small voice, just as a sprinkle of soft piano music began to sound.

"Oh, I don't know," Klaus took Caroline's glass out of her hand and placed it on a nearby surface, along with his own. He reached out and placed his hand on Caroline's waist, and took her hand. "It depends how well you dance."

Caroline noticed that couples were beginning to head into the middle of the dance floor, and were dancing slowly. She rolled her eyes with a smile, as Klaus led her out into the centre of the room, and they began to rock slowly.

He pulled her body against his, and she rested her head on his shoulder and allowed him to lead her around the room. The soft, slow music wasn't jazzy enough for people to do a proper dance, but none of the couples around them seemed to mind. They were wrapped up completely in each other, clearly not noticing anyone else around them. Caroline heard muttering over the music somewhere left of her, and she noticed that Esther was engaging in a stiff looking dance with an older man with grey streaked hair. His face was hardened and stern, and Caroline assumed that this was Klaus' father. At that moment, he caught Caroline's eye, and she turned her head away quickly.

"You look wonderful in that dress, Caroline," Klaus murmured, his breath on her ear. She felt a shudder run down her spine as he complimented her.

"Where on earth did you learn how to shop?" she asked him quietly.

"Believe it or not, it belonged to a princess who was almost as beautiful as you," he whispered, and pulled her back slightly so that he could make eye contact with her. Caroline wanted to grin, but Klaus' face was deadly serious. She found herself staring into Klaus's eyes as they danced, unable to tear away from his gaze.

The first dance was over long before Caroline was aware. She realised that Esther was stood on a podium, clapping her hands into a microphone. "Welcome, welcome all – to the Mikaelson Annual Charity Gala!" there was a smattering of applause before Esther continued. "If you could all take another glass from the waiters who are on their way round, and then we will head out to the garden, where the Date Auction will commence shortly."

She stepped down from the podium, and then vanished from view. "The Date Auction?" Caroline questioned, as a waiter handed her a champagne flute. Klaus snickered, and downed the champagne that he was handed, and then took another one from the waiter's tray.

"My mother has been doing this for years. I don't think she realises that it's actually quite _degrading_ nowadays," he muttered.

"But what is it?"

Klaus pulled Caroline's arm through his, and led her out into the garden. "It's an embarrassing affair," he explained. "About ten young women are placed in the auction, and the members of the Gala have to place a bid, with the chance to win a date with the lady they are bidding on. As most of the people my mother invites here are extraordinarily wealthy, the bidding generally starts fairly high. Naturally, all the money goes to charity – that's the point. Just a bit of fun to get people spending cash."

When Klaus finished, Caroline's eyebrows were high. "Really?"

"Unfortunately," Klaus replied. He reached the rows of plastic seats, and ushered down one of the front rows.

As they sat down, Caroline spoke again. "Have you ever won a date here?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Caroline," Klaus muttered. "I prefer to play by the other charity games my mother will host. Kol, on the other hand, has won several. Several in the same evening, in fact. The problem is, he seems to mistake a casual date with flat out prostitution, and assumes that any girl who goes out with him is willing to jump in his bed."

Caroline laughed as she watched Kol stagger out of the ball room with the dark skinned girl. The pair of them looked extremely drunk, and something a little more. The rest of the seats soon filled, and before long, Esther was standing on the stage, tapping a microphone once again.

She announced the Date Auction, and then proceeded to list the nominees. Elena was called up, much to Caroline's amusement, and so were Nadia and Rebekah. Caroline hadn't seen Rebekah since she had fired her several months before, but it was unsurprising to see that she looked fantastic, as always. A few other beautiful looking young women were called onto the stage, and then it seemed like they were ready to begin.

Caroline was trying to make eye contact with Elena, when Esther began coughing into the microphone again. "Final nominee; Caroline Forbes," there was a round of applause, and Klaus looked at her sharply.

"You signed up for this?" he muttered.

"I – no! Of course not!" she hissed indignantly. Several people swerved around to look at her, and Esther craned her neck.

"Come on up, Caroline."

Caroline groaned inwardly, and pulled herself to her feet. As she reached the stage, trying to ignore the stare that Rebekah was burning into her, she finally caught Elena's eye. She took her place beside her friend. "This was you, wasn't it," she murmured out of the corner of her mouth, while Esther began explaining the rules to the audience.

"Hey, if I have to go through this, so do you," she replied with a grin. Caroline rolled her eyes and stood up straight. She just wanted to get it over with.


	11. Chapter 11

A.U: Warning for a bit of smut at the end of this chapter!

* * *

_Chapter Eleven_

Nothing filled Klaus with disgust more than his mother's Charity Gala; but nothing was worse than her charity raising events. He hated the way his father and Kol were sitting at the very front, leering at the nominees for the Date Auction. Especially the way his narrowed eyed father was watching them all, eyeing them up and down one by one like they were waxwork models.

His eyes settled on Caroline, drinking her in for an especially long time. Klaus wanted nothing more than to stomp over to his seat right in front of the stage, and poke out his gawping eyeballs.

Instead, he shook his head and gritted his teeth, deciding instead to focus on Caroline. She was standing awkwardly on the end of the row with her arms folded, chewing on her bottom lip. Klaus found himself becoming so strangely enticed by the way she caught her plump lip between her teeth, sucking it into her mouth nervously, that he almost missed his mother introducing the Date Auction.

It was completely dire. She read through the list of eligible women, describing their features and professions accordingly. Rebekah was 'sold' first, for an impressive ten thousand dollars. The splashing of such a large amount of cash just to spend time with someone like the exquisite Rebekah seemed to excite the various bachelors around the garden, as many wallets rustled when Esther moved on.

One by one the women were auctioned off and given tickets for various, lavish dates. Finally, the only nominee left on the stage was Caroline.

"…welcoming Caroline Forbes. She is a home-grown beauty from the village of Mystic Falls in Virginia!" a round of applause responded to Esther's introduction, and Caroline forced a tight smile, and folded her arms a little tighter. She was no stranger to being in the public eye – after all, she had lead committees at college, and had the honour of being Miss Mystic Falls whilst she was at high school. But somehow, this audience made her a lot more nervous than she'd ever been. Most of them seemed harmless enough, smiling up at her sympathetically – but there were several greedy faces in the audience; staring at her with hungry eyes whilst they fingered the rolls of cash in their pockets. "We'll start the bidding off at five thousand."

"Five fifty," called Kol immediately. There was a series of sniggers, and comments about how cheap Kol had gotten over the years. Caroline watched Kol shrug off the remarks and then turn back to smile at her. Before she could remember she was annoyed with him, she was smiling back – as much as he was a complete jackass at times, he was still her friend. If it was him and a bunch of these old, money-clogged guys in their sharp suits, she would rather go on the date with Kol – that was, if he managed to keep his drugs at home.

"Seven thousand!" shouted a new voice. Caroline looked out into the audience, and saw a dark haired man with brown eyes grinning up at her. He was quite handsome, in a boyish kind of way.

"Seven thousand to Mr Tyler Lockwood," Esther nodded.

"Seven fifty?" Kol tried. There was another round of sniggering at Kol's effort. Tyler shot it up to another eight thousand, and Kol made a swiping motion across his neck. "I draw the line at seven fifty," he replied, and leaned back in his chair, putting his arm around the back of the dark skinned girl he had brought with him. Caroline rolled her eyes – of course, Kol didn't need to worry about getting any kind of charitable date.

"Eight thousand to Tyler Lockwood," Esther continued. She held up three fingers, beginning to count down. "Going once…going twice…"

"Ten thousand," a determined voice cut in. Esther raised her eyebrow, and Caroline saw, to her shock, that the speaker was Klaus's father; Esther's husband, Mikael. He was raising his hand, giving Caroline a lazy half smile, his eyes burning into her.

Caroline felt herself glowing. This was ridiculously awkward – she knew it was only for fun, and the main aim of this was to get money for charity. But the thought of her sitting down for a dinner date with Mikael made her cringe inwardly. Kol, who was sitting between his date and his father, looked initially shocked, but then a humoured grin had replaced his previous image. Esther looked at Caroline first, one silky brow arched, and then back to her husband. But the worst was when Caroline found the eyes of her boss in the audience; Klaus was staring into his father's back – and if looks could kill, Mikael would be a pile of ash on the grass.

Klaus and his father already had their bad relationship, and Caroline couldn't help but wonder if Mikael had deliberately bid for a date with her just to irritate Klaus. He had seen the pair dancing earlier; and judging from what Klaus had told Caroline on the beach, he would use any means of emotional blackmail to get at Klaus, even in his adulthood.

But pondering over this wouldn't help. Klaus had made it pretty clear earlier that he didn't believe in this charity event that his mother hosted, and Tyler Lockwood appeared to have backed down from the bid – double figures were clearly not in his expectations. Just as Caroline was beginning to accept her fate and prepare for the slimy Mikael to step onto the stage to accept his date with her, Esther reluctantly raised her hand again.

Before she could speak, a hand shot up from the audience. "Twelve thousand." It was Klaus.

"Fifteen," replied Mikael smoothly.

"Twenty thousand," uttered Klaus immediately. They were going quickly, not giving themselves the time to think about the amount they were putting down on a date with Caroline, but it was all she thought about. As each of the men shouted out their amounts, Caroline was beginning to get irritated. They thought nothing of the value of money – but she reminded herself that the real reason was charity, even if they didn't really see that.

"Thirty five!" Mikael hissed. He wasn't looking up at the stage anymore, he had turned around in his seat and was glaring right at his son. Klaus was staring back just as harshly. The whole audience was reacting to this bidding battle – everyone's smiles had fallen, and an air of tension swept across the garden.

"Fifty fucking thousand!" yelled Klaus, standing up as he spoke. There was a brief silence, but then everyone broke into nervous laughter.

Mikael gave his son a tight grin, which he then forwarded to Caroline. He put his hand down, and Esther took a breath. "Fifty thousand to Niklaus Mikaelson. Going once, going twice…" she gave a pause, but shot her husband a deathly, daring stare as she did so. "Sold, to Klaus Mikaelson."

There was a smattering of applause, and Caroline felt herself sigh with relief. It was only a matter of time before Klaus had managed to find an excuse to take her out for dinner, and he had paid fifty thousand dollars for the privilege.

"Your date is…" Esther continued. Caroline remembered that she had being pulling scraps of paper from a ceramic bowl that sat on the same podium that held the microphone. She fished her hand in, and pulled out the final remaining scrap. "…a four day mini break to Amsterdam!" the applause resumed, but there was also a lot of murmuring going on. Esther handed the paper to Caroline, and then quietly, she returned to her seat, trying to process the information.

Esther said a few more words, and then requested for the party to move back to the ball room, where more dancing would commence. Caroline remained in her seat as the people returned inside, staring at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand.

"I haven't been to Amsterdam since I was seventeen. It should be good," Klaus commented. Caroline turned to look at him, confusion in her eyes.

"What are we doing?"

Klaus raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"You're acting like we're _together _– the cute dancing, the jealousy over Kol taking me to the Gala and now _this_," she waved the paper. "Spending fifty thousand bucks just to go to _Europe?_"

"Caroline, we're just friends. I care about my friends."

This was going back to familiar territory. Caroline could remember this argument, and it didn't end well. She didn't want to return to that awkward place with Klaus again, but she just wished they could establish their boundaries. So she pressed the paper into Klaus' chest, and stood up. "I can't go to Europe."

"Why not? You were saying you needed a holiday."

"I'm on holiday now!" snapped Caroline. "I'm not going to Europe," she hitched up her skirts and started walking across the grass. "I'm going back to the house."

"Caroline!" called Klaus. He groaned, and jumped out of his seat, storming after her. "What, would you rather have gone with Kol? Or my _father_?"

"Of course not," hissed Caroline, as they reached the edge of the garden, and came to the roadside. She had begun to walk down the sidewalk, with Klaus right behind her. "I don't want to go at all – so I'm not going to," she threw up her hands in distress. "Seriously – it was supposed to just be a _date_! A date is dinner, or the movies, or seeing a play in the park. Not a _four day _holiday to _Europe_!" Caroline was shrieking now – the champagne she had been drinking all night had clearly gone straight to her head.

"Caroline, get in my car," Klaus muttered as they stopped by his car. Caroline folded her arms adamantly, and Klaus tried not to smirk at the sight of her. Her make-up was smudged and her hair was falling out of its up-do, and the scowl on her face could rival that of a toddler.

"No," she replied, and turned on her heel. "I'm walking."

Klaus had expected this, so he took drastic measures. As she started stomping down the street, he unlocked his car and opened the back door, and then swooped in on her. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her angry protests. She thumped his back as he carried her back to the car, and then threw her onto the backseat.

He had jumped in the front before she could make a rash escape, and booted the engine up, setting the car into first. He started to drive instantly, eyeing Caroline through the rear-view mirror.

"You can't drive," she muttered. "You were drinking too."

"We're only going down the road," he replied. Before long, they had pulled up to his Hampton house, and he helped her out of the car. Thankfully, Caroline seemed to have calmed down by this point, and she allowed him to take her inside.

She expected him to cart her to her bedroom and allow her to collapse into sleep, but instead he pushed her down onto a barstool in the kitchen, and placed a shallow glass in front of her. He took one as well, and then removed a crystal decanter, filled with glistening amber liquid, from an overhead cabinet. He placed it on the counter, and then sat opposite her, unfastening his necktie.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Therapy," he replied tartly. "Clearly, nothing we have ever done before has helped us resolve our…situations…so, this is a new effort. I want you to say something that is on your mind, and then have a drink. Every time you speak your mind, have a drink. And then when we get back to the city, it will all be gone. Everything you say will be left here," he told her. "What you say in the Hamptons will _stay _in the Hamptons."

"And what if we return to the Hamptons?" questioned Caroline.

"Do you really want to come back to my mother's Gala next year?" Caroline didn't answer. "I didn't think so. I'll go first," he poured himself a measurement of Bourbon into the glass, and looked at Caroline. "I have been intrigued by you since I first met you at our family's soiree," he downed the whiskey when he finished, and then proceeded to pour some into Caroline's glass.

Caroline took a deep breath, and cupped her hand around the glass. "Sometimes I wish you weren't my boss, so that I didn't have to feel guilty about my feelings," she poured the whiskey down her throat, wincing at the sharp taste.

"I hired you because I fancied you," Klaus replied. He drank.

"I hate it when you have women around in your apartment." She drank.

"I hate it when you hang around with Kol." Drink.

"I think about when you kissed me all the time."

"So do I."

They paused. The whiskey was reducing substantially, and without realising, the pair of them had stood up from their seats, and they were staring at each other across the breakfast bar. Caroline could feel that electric sensation in her stomach; a tangled mass of conflicting emotions that were somehow dragging her towards Klaus. She stopped in front of him, feeling her breath shuddering in her throat. "I hate how confusing this is," she whispered, her eyes focusing determinedly on his.

"It doesn't have to be," he muttered.

"Doesn't it?"

Klaus shook his head. "You could just…" he leaned forward, and reached his hand out, letting his fingers brush through a strand of her blonde hair. "Go with it."

Caroline closed her eyes as his hand touched her face, and exerted a long breath. "What happens in the Hamptons…" she murmured, curling her cheek into his warm palm.

"Stays in the Hamptons," Klaus finished, his voice sounding rough. Before she could respond, his hand had clamped around the back of her neck and the other one found her waist. He pulled her into him, and they were kissing ferociously and desperately, fighting for dominance. He reached around the back of her dress and pulled apart the bodice of her expensive dress roughly, sending the pearly buttons rocketing across the kitchen floor, but neither of them cared. Caroline scrabbled with his shirt buttons, pushing the garment over his shoulders and running her hands over his bare shoulders – his skin was burning hot, and that only excited Caroline more.

When Klaus had managed to strip Caroline down to her underwear, he reached his hands around her upper thighs and lifted her from her feet, turning her and placing her on the breakfast bar. He stood between her legs, burying his face in her neck and planting kisses all across her collarbone to her ear, and she arched her back in response. They were too heated; too needy; too enthralled in each other. It was all going too fast, but neither of them seemed to care. They needed to get to it quickly, before anything or anyone could make them decide otherwise. Caroline soon found that she had her hand down the front of his pants.

Klaus pulled the front of his trousers open, and was suddenly pressing himself against Caroline. With one quick thrust, he had immersed himself inside of her, and the two of them groaned out loud in unison – but Klaus didn't start up again straight away. He held her fast to him, savouring the feeling of Caroline holding him, kissing him, her femininity engulfing him. This kind of event between Klaus and Caroline had been a _long _time coming, and he was prepared to savour every moment.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_

New York was as grey and dismal as ever when Caroline returned from the Hamptons.

Typically, Elena had remained out there with Damon. She didn't have to rush back to work, and the beach was just too much of a lure for her. So, Caroline had stepped out of a cab alone, straight into a puddle, and found herself staring up at her apartment block as the rain poured down on her. With a sigh, she trudged inside, lugging her suitcase along with her.

As annoyed as she had been to have to take the coach back from the Hamptons alone, she was slightly glad that she would have the apartment to herself. Elena was full of beans whilst being with Damon, but she knew she would blow her top when she heard Caroline's story. Deep down, she was happy to have some time alone.

Without bothering to unpack her suitcase, she walked straight into her bedroom and threw herself face first onto her bed. The last few days in the Hamptons had been an awkward blur and the sooner she got back to work and back into a normal routine, the better.

She had woken up the night after the Charity Gala in her bed in the Hamptons – only she hadn't been alone. When she rolled over and stretched out, trying to ignore the headache that was coming on, Klaus was beside her. He was lying shirtless on his back, staring up blankly at the ceiling. If the pair of them had ever had a most uncomfortable moment, it was then.

The memories of the night before flooded back to Caroline immediately, and she didn't know what to think. As much as she willed herself to regret the incident, she just couldn't. What she had done with Klaus had felt…wrongly right.

Of course, she wasn't going to admit that to him. Even if what they had said – about whatever they said remaining in the Hamptons – was true, she couldn't admit it to herself.

So instead, they went for complete basic ignorance. Klaus climbed out of bed and dressed while Caroline pretended not to be paying attention, and then told her he had to rush back to let his mother know why he had left the Gala early. That was the last time she had seen him, and she'd been extremely confused. She half expected a joke out of him, or a comment about the previous night's events. But there was nothing from him but a lack of eye contact and an urge to get out of the house.

Caroline had originally planned to stay for the full week, but after that episode she only stayed in the Hamptons an extra day. She didn't see Klaus again, Kol never showed up, so she assumed that he was too busy partying, and Elena remained shacked up with Damon, returning only once to pick up some more underwear. Caroline expected that Lexi might pay her a visit, but there was nothing and no one.

She was left, lonely in the Hamptons. No visitors and nothing to do – except dwell on her indiscretion with Klaus. So she had no other choice but to get the first coach back to the city.

* * *

The next day Caroline was up bright and early, and was sat at her desk in the office with a Styrofoam cup of coffee beside her. Shutdown week meant that there was virtually no one around, no receptionist, no cleaners, just a handful of sparse skeleton staff. But even those weren't around.

Caroline had the _whole _office to herself. No Lexi distracting her with tales of her latest escapades; no Logan trying to pass odd jobs onto her that he couldn't be bothered to do; and especially no Klaus, making his cocky remarks and ensuring she got next to no work done. No one; just herself; her diaries and a coffee.

For the next few hours, she worked in peace. She weighed out Klaus's private and work planners for the next several weeks, and made notes in her own planner of all the messages left on Klaus and Elijah's answering machine. There were several requests for visits, which usually led to company meetings. She then moved onto Klaus's work email, and printed off everything that he would be interested in, with the intention of dropping them off at his apartment when she was on her way home.

After she had done all of that, she decided to try and help Elijah out. He had taken on Kol personally after the whole incident several weeks ago, but Kol had next to no organisation skills. Caroline found Elijah's log in information on his desk, so she logged into his computer and sifted through his emails. She was glad to discover that he was a little more organised than Klaus – Elijah had hardly any unread mails, which showed that he probably checked them out in his free time. Nevertheless, she went through and printed off anything important looking, and packaged them up into a large envelope, printing Elijah's name neatly on the front.

When she thought there was nothing more that she could possibly do, Caroline decided to pack up her things and set off. She switched off the lights and locked up at about three in the afternoon, and headed round to Klaus's apartment. As she knew the code to his penthouse, she was able to ride up in the lift and walk right in.

Every time she had visited Klaus's apartment it had been beautiful. The only issue was that every time she had been here previously; there had been some kind of consequential reason. The time was when she had been high with Kol, and cut her hand – after finding Klaus receiving oral from his friend Pearl. Then there had been the awkward few days where she was expected to work at the apartment with him, which had naturally resulted in a lot of negativity between them.

This was the first time she had arrived at his apartment and been able to just revel in how tranquil the place was. Everything was glass and clean, but his apartment was still homely. She pulled out the two envelopes from her handbag, and wandered over to his desk in the far corner, and placed them neatly where they would be seen. She then removed the notes which had the answering machine messages scribbled on them, and spread them out alongside the envelopes.

Feeling quite happy with the work she had done, she turned around and headed back towards the lift, reaching her hand out to press the button that would open the doors. She recoiled back, however, as there was something wrong. The button, which normally glowed green when there was no one inside it, was glowing red – which meant that someone was in the lift, and on their way up to Klaus's apartment.

Without really thinking about it, Caroline did the first thing that seemed natural to her. She shook her hands in a brief panic and then decided to hide – choosing to duck behind one of the heavy curtains that were drawn across the wide window. She had barely managed to immerse herself behind the curtain, with her back flat against the glass, when she heard the lift doors sliding open.

Being unable to see, Caroline was listening intently. She didn't know who on earth it could be who wasn't still in the Hamptons. Klaus was in the Hamptons. Elijah and Kol were in the Hamptons. She wasn't sure who else would know the code to enter his apartment – of course; it was highly likely this could be one of his many female friends. It was possible he had just lost track of the amount of people he had handed his apartment code to.

She held her breath as footsteps sounded nearer, heading towards the desk. There was the rustling of papers, as whoever it was looked through the notes Caroline had left, and then he or she stalked over to the window – right next to where Caroline was hidden behind the curtain.

She saw the reflection in the window. When she realised who it was, her breath caught in her throat – and then the curtain was ripped back.

"I could see your feet the whole time," Klaus muttered, giving her a long look. Caroline glowed, and dropped her gaze from his face.

"Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"Are we talking about right now, or in the Hamptons?"

Caroline ignored him. "I was just dropping off some emails and the notes from your machine. I was about leave – I didn't know who it was coming up. I panicked," she told him, smoothing out her jacket.

"Do you want some coffee?" Klaus asked, as if he hadn't heard her. She didn't want to if they were going to act so awkward, but they did need to clear the air. So she nodded slowly, and dropped her handbag, sitting down on the table. She watched Klaus in the kitchen, as he poured water and milk into the coffee machine, and brewed a large jug. He brought it out on a tray with two mugs, and sat down opposite her.

Caroline had a brief flashback to the Hamptons; to the fragmented moment where he had sat down opposite her with the whiskey decanter. But it was different this time – they were both sober, and there were absolutely no strange feelings in the air. Yet. There was silence as Klaus steadily poured coffee, and took a long sip. Caroline did the same.

"Why are you here?" she asked, suddenly. Klaus cocked an eyebrow.

"This is my apartment, Caroline. I should be asking you the same thing," his mouth turned up at the corners and his eyes glinted – he appeared to have gotten his sense of humour back.

"You know what I mean," she replied, rolling her eyes. "You're supposed to be still in the Hamptons."

"Not necessarily. Remember, I told you I was only going to the Gala. And that's all I did. The next day I came straight back here – I needed some time to myself; some time to think."

"Think about what?" Caroline asked tenderly.

He continued to stare at her carefully. "We're not in the Hamptons anymore, love. This isn't that drinking game. All that stuff stays in the Hamptons, remember."

"Well this isn't about the Hamptons, is it," snapped Caroline.

"What is it about, then?" Klaus responded, playfully. Caroline slammed her coffee mug on the table top with a lot of force, causing the dark liquid to splash out.

"Stop messing around!" she shouted. "This isn't a game! We had _sex_!"

"I know, and it was marvellous. Now calm down, love, you'll stain your lovely suit."

"You're acting like this is all just a joke. Don't you get it? We've overstepped the line. You're my _boss_. You're not my…boyfriend!"

The glimmer in Klaus's eye seemed to instantly vanish. "Caroline, I'm sorry. I'm trying to lighten the mood here – I know how _seriously _you take these things. Now can you just push aside your dramatic worries about our little Hamptons mishap, and hand me my personal planner." Caroline blinked at Klaus's sudden change in tone, but reached into her handbag anyway, withdrawing Klaus's smaller planner. She slid it across the table to him, and watched as he flipped through it. "I'm suggesting that we take our Amsterdam trip two weeks from now. Any objections?"

Caroline had been about to take a drink from her mug when he said this, and she almost threw the mug over him. "Amsterdam?" she spluttered. She had pretty much forgotten about the whole Date Auction after she had sex with Klaus. As far as she was concerned, it was never going to happen. "I told you I'm not going to Amsterdam, I have a job to do."

She wasn't really bothered about work. It was the whole idea of going on a random holiday, solely with Klaus, that was making her uncomfortable. They had no idea where they were going with their friendship, and they had just not long ago had a drunken one night stand, and now he was expecting to take her to Amsterdam – a sex crazed European city. Indiscretions were bound to happen, left, right and centre.

"Caroline love, your job is to work for me, and do what I tell you. And now, I'm telling you that we're going to Amsterdam. I have placed fifty thousand dollars into an unknown charity of my mother's choice, so we're going to Amsterdam," he paused, looking up from his planner. "Have I made myself clear, love?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Crystal."

He snapped his planner shut, and then smirked over at her. "Well, I hope that you haven't unpacked your things, sweetheart. We're going out to Amsterdam in two days."

* * *

Elena arrived home a day later, in the middle of the night. She had tried to sneak in with the intention of not waking Caroline, but the latter was already up, hastily running around and making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Klaus was picking her up at four in the morning to take them both to the airport, and she was anything but excited.

Elena blinked at her friend groggily when she spotted Caroline in the living room, fully dressed with her suitcase by the door. "Caroline?" she blinked from her to the suitcase and a scenario seemed to piece together in her head. "Are you _leaving_?"

Caroline was looking out of the window, waiting for the sign of a car, but she gave Elena a mocking look. "What? No! Are you serious?" she stepped closer to Elena, and took a good, long look at her.

Elena was a complete state. Her hair was mussed, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she was dressed in the same t-shirt and shorts combination that she seemed to have worn all the time she was in the Hamptons. There was a litter of lovebites across her neck and collarbone, and she was scratching the back of her head.

"But now that you mention it," Caroline muttered, giving her friend a dirty look. "_Where _have you been?"

"What? Caroline, I've been out in the Hamptons, you know that."

"No, I mean in general!" Caroline shouted. "In the Hamptons, you vanished off with _Damon _for days! You don't even know what happened to me! That was supposed to be a holiday for us, and you picked a _boy _over your girlfriend? Did you even notice that I had come home?"

Elena chewed on her lip. "Caroline," she mumbled, her long brown hair falling into her face. "I—"

"—you know, maybe I should leave," Caroline yelled. "Because it won't be long before scumbag _Damon _wants to move up in here, and then where will I be? Because seriously, I won't be here while you're _boning _all the time!"

"Caroline, what the hell is your problem?" Elena suddenly shouted. "So I spent a few days with a boy, what's the big deal?"

"Don't pull that on me! Everyone always feels sorry for you, Elena. If this was the other way around…argh!" Caroline turned back to the window, flipping her hair back angrily.

"What the hell _happened_?" Elena screeched.

"I had sex with Klaus!" screamed Caroline, just as a horn sounded outside. Elena froze, her eyes wide, but Caroline just pushed past her. "I have to go," she muttered, grabbing her suitcase by the handle and heading for the door.

"Caroline, where are you going?" Elena called, as Caroline began dragging her case down the stairs. "Caroline!"

"See, you don't know that, either!" Caroline replied, as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Klaus had come to the door, waiting to help her with her bag, but Caroline ignored him. "You vanished with Damon after he bought you both a date at the Gala – you didn't even wait to see who I got landed with!" she unlocked the door, and threw herself outside, slamming it behind her.

As she climbed in Klaus's car, she glowered up at her apartment building. Yes, she was annoyed with Elena, but she hadn't been prior to her arriving there. The truth was, Caroline was just angry – angry at the world. She was angry for losing her job with Rebekah and getting involved with Klaus, she was angry for getting so dragged into Klaus's charm, she was angry for having _sex _with him. She was angry that she now had to go to Amsterdam with him and probably make many more mistakes, and she was angry at how confused she was about her feelings. Elena had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. As Klaus started driving away, tactfully staying quiet about the argument he had just witnessed, Caroline promised herself that she would call Elena and resolve their fight, as soon as they landed in Amsterdam.


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N**: The new character included in this chapter isn't exactly an OC, he's an adaption of a character from a film (I like crossovers too much). Cookie to the person who guesses who the character is!

* * *

_Chapter Thirteen_

Klaus couldn't be happier that he had managed to whisk Caroline out of New York already, just a few days after she had returned from the Hamptons. Although they didn't talk much on the way to the airport, he didn't mind. He was just glad to be getting another opportunity of a holiday with her.

She hadn't been very engaging in conversation, but he was content just watching her. As they drove to the JFK airport, she curled up on the passenger seat with her head against the window, and fell asleep. Klaus couldn't resist in shooting her the occasional glance, feeling his heart warming at the sight of her pale face reflecting against the window, a small smile on her features. When they pulled up in the airport, Klaus didn't wake her straight away – he waited until he'd sent his driver and email from his BlackBerry, with instructions to pick up his car in the morning. As the sun was starting to rise, Klaus gently shook Caroline awake, ushering her into the airport.

He watched her as she sleepily handed her passport, ticket and luggage to the staff, and then groggily trudged around Duty Free with her eyes half closed. Klaus had the sense to lead her to a small coffee shop, where he made the mistake of choosing a table with a sofa seat. Caroline collapsed onto the sofa instantly, her head drooping into the pancakes that Klaus had taken the liberty of buying her.

In fact, Caroline didn't finally become alert until about seven a.m., when they were finally boarding the plane. She perked up considerably when the stewardess led her and Klaus down to the front of the plane, into First Class, and seemed much brighter by the time they were buckled in and waiting for the plane to take off. Klaus found himself smirking at the seat in front of him when Caroline exclaimed that she had been expecting to sit in coach.

"Caroline, do you really think that _I _would want to sit amongst that rabble?"

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Rebekah," Caroline replied promptly. Klaus raised his eyebrows at her feisty comeback.

"I see you're starting to wake up," he responded. "You know, love, the aeroplane is generally where you'd get your rest."

Caroline opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by the captain announcing over the intercom that they would be taking off. As the plane commenced lift off, Caroline tipped her seat right back, and plugged in her earphones – determined to remain that way for the entire journey.

* * *

When they finally arrived in Amsterdam, Klaus felt nowhere near as much affection for Caroline as he had that same morning.

She had managed to sleep through the _entire _flight. Even after all the sleep she had before they climbed aboard the plane; she still managed to sleep for another seven hours. Klaus, who was a much more of a light sleeper, had managed to have no sleep, in the luxurious seats in First Class. So he was left to sit alone, with no one to talk to and nothing to do but watch the boring, low budget movies that were on the television on the back of the seat in front of him.

So it was perfectly reasonable to Klaus to be in a truly terrible mood.

Caroline on the other hand, woke up remarkably well rested. She was overly talkative as they hurried through security, and then climbed in a taxi waiting outside with their luggage. It was late evening by this point, but Caroline was ecstatic to be in another country, as much as she had previously been dreading the holiday. She wound the window open and stuck her head out as the taxi sailed along the riverside, in awe of the neon lights in windows, and the glowing bulbs on the undersides of the bridges.

"Can you shut the window, it's freezing," Klaus muttered. "We are in _Europe _now, Caroline."

"You're from Europe, you should be immune to bad weather," Caroline replied, ignoring his request. Instead, she reached in her bag for her digital camera, holding it up to the window. Klaus didn't answer, but Caroline didn't really notice.

It wasn't long before they pulled up outside a small hotel, and were given their room keys by the Dutch receptionist. She was surprised to hear Klaus speak fluently in her language, but although she couldn't understand what he was saying, Caroline still picked up the flirt in his voice. The way he was leaning over the desk; the way a lazy smirk was creeping onto his face; the way he leered down at her with his bright blue eyes. Caroline rolled hers at flirting efforts even in another country, and dragged him up to their room.

"You booked a room with a _double bed_?" Caroline exclaimed when she entered the hotel room. It was laid out like a honeymoon suite, with dim lights and rose petals scattered across the bedspread. She groaned inwardly, dumping her suitcase on the duvet. Klaus stepped in after her, and didn't even look around the room, instead choosing to wheel his suitcase into the corner of the room, and step into the en suite without shutting the door.

"My mother arranged this, remember," he snapped. "I didn't book it at all. As it was a _Date Auction_, do you really think that twin beds would be part of the deal?" There was the sound of water splashing, and Caroline assumed that Klaus was washing his face. She rolled her eyes, and unzipped her suitcase, beginning to pull out various items of clothing.

"Where's that guy gone?" she called into the bathroom. "The guy from downstairs who was talking to the receptionist."

"Oh, don't be pathetic."

"No, really," Caroline removed a particularly colourful dress, and turned to the dressing table mirror, holding it up to her body. "The receptionist got the German flirt, and I have to come upstairs with Mr. Snappy," she nodded at her reflection, and then proceeded to pull off her own clothes. Klaus stepped out of the bathroom shirtless. Caroline hurriedly pulled the dress over her body, and looked at Klaus in the reflection of the mirror. He was glaring at her, with his arms folded across his chest.

"Arabella is an old family friend. Her parents are good friends of my mother, and own this hotel – hence why she booked this particular lodge," he headed over to the bed, and yanked Caroline's suitcase onto the floor, not paying attention to the clothes that spilled onto the carpet. "Also, if you must know – the residents speak _Dutch _here, not German."

"Whatever," dismissed Caroline, reaching for her hand luggage. She pulled out her make up bag while Klaus climbed into the bed, and watched her through the mirror.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked.

Caroline had applied a little mascara, and was carefully pressing a tissue to the lipstick she had put on. She dug a small clutch bag out of the untidy suitcase, and tossed in a few bits of make-up, as well as her purse and camera. "Out," she replied. "We are on holiday. And we only have four days here. I didn't really want to come in the first place, but it's my job, remember. So I'm going to make the most of it," she fluffed up the back of her hair, and then took one last look at her reflection.

The dress she was wearing was a figure fitting dress that had elbow length sleeves and came down to her knees. It dipped quite low in the cleavage, and was a very bright, vivid purple colour, with golden thread lining the sleeves and neckline. She smoothed down her stomach, feeling quite self-conscious in such a tight garment, but shook off the thought. She looked great, and she was going out to have fun.

"Aren't you jet lagged?" Klaus muttered from the bed. "Of course not – you've had about twelve hours sleep."

"I take it you aren't coming?"

"No, and you aren't going. You can't walk around a foreign city during the night on your own, Caroline. Don't be ridiculous. Get into bed; we'll go out tomorrow."

"I don't want to go out with you anyway. You're sulking," Caroline replied breezily. She smiled at her reflection again, feeling quite impressed that she wasn't reacting so neurotically to Klaus. She had managed to brush off all of his snarky comments and sarcastic remarks. Maybe this was a new Caroline; _Amsterdam_ Caroline. She tucked her clutch under her arm, and stalked out of the door. "I'll be back in a few hours. Promise," she waggled her fingers at Klaus, and sailed away.

* * *

Caroline wanted to find a bar. She wanted to walk into an exciting club, drink something that looked like Tinkerbell had exploded inside it, and just have a good time. The last few days had been an awkward, confusing mess, and she just wanted to have some fun. The only problem was that Caroline didn't speak Dutch, and didn't really know what kind of bars she was heading into.

She assumed that the silhouettes of women dancing behind red glass windows were just for decoration, and she headed straight into a busy looking club with these kinds of attractions. She soon learned, judging from the podiums and poles with near-naked women grinding around them, that she had wandered right into a strip club. And probably a sex club too, judging from the nightlife reviews she'd read on the internet. Her initial thought was to back out of the place and run back to the hotel, but she shrugged it off. She was a strong independent woman, and she was going to have a drink at a bar if it killed her.

So Caroline walked confidently straight the bar, and ordered the most expensive cocktail on the menu. She was happy to discover that the barmaid spoke English, which made her experience a lot easier. The cocktail was _so _sparkly and _so _pretty, that she almost didn't notice the face grinning at her along the bar.

She offered the man a polite smile, hoping that she didn't send off any unnecessary signals. As much as she wanted to have fun, she wanted to have fun by herself tonight. It was her first night in Amsterdam, and she wasn't in the mood to make friends. Her own friends were proving to be useless enough – Klaus was sat sulking at the hotel; Elena had ditched her for a new boyfriend several times, and Kol…Kol was just Kol. It seemed her efforts _did _go unnoticed however, as the man sidled across the bar, sitting down on the barstool right next to her. Caroline took in his features – he was on the skinnier side, but he had strong looking arms under the pale shirt and waistcoat combination he was wearing. His hair was a little too long; hanging over his narrow, crinkled eyes and around his ears, and was covered by a leather fedora hat, and there was a gold earring glinting in one ear. He didn't look anything like the men Caroline was used to seeing, so she automatically assumed he was from around here.

He opened his mouth and spoke, but Caroline didn't understand a word he said. She didn't know if it was because of the loud music, or if he was speaking a different language. He laughed when she crinkled her forehead, and leaned forward to hear him better.

"Name's Mickey," he called over the music. "Who might you be?"

Caroline raised her eyebrows as soon as he finished talking. Mickey was speaking in an accent she had never even heard of, and it took a lot of straining to actually understand what he was saying. "Caroline," she replied slowly, holding out her hand. He shook it jovially, almost pulling her arm from the socket, but she nervously laughed it off. "If you don't mind me asking – where are you from?"

"The accent, isn't it?" Micky grinned. "I'm a Traveller; I'm from everywhere. England, that is. Just on holiday at the minute."

The only words Caroline picked up initially were 'Traveller', 'England' and 'holiday', but she managed to piece together the rest. She had heard of Gypsy Travellers during her History lessons, but she had never met one, or even wondered about the prospect. She suddenly found herself very interested in Mickey and his life, and it wasn't long before her promised 'one drink' was multiplying.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

Caroline found it odd, just how easy it was to talk to this stranger.

Four cocktails down, and Caroline found that she was laughing so loudly that the noise echoed in her ears. The dancers soon became peach coloured blurs, and the music drummed like blood in her ears. Mickey was the funniest person in the world, and he was only funnier because Caroline could hardly understand a word he was saying.

The night wore on and on, and Caroline soon found herself talking about Klaus. She felt like she did that crazy day with Kol, except there were no illegal drugs on the premises. Somehow, Mickey made her feel comfortable, open, and able to talk about anything. He listened eagerly as Caroline droned on and on about her recent turns of events, and gave her a friendly slap on the back when she finally reached to the part about Klaus bringing her to Amsterdam, and then collapsed onto the bar.

"So you're in love with this fellow?" he asked her in his thick Irish accent. Caroline shrugged, but then realised just what he'd said. She sat bolt upright, and gave him a wobbly glare.

"No! He's my boss," she hissed.

"Sounds like you say that to everyone," he replied with a cheeky grin, before downing a shot that the barmaid had just placed in front of him. She handed a second one to Caroline, but she held her hand up dismissively.

"No, thank you," she insisted. "I really should…" she squinted at her watch, which read three-thirty. "Oh my God, I should really go back to my hotel…" she stood up, fastening her clutch. "It was nice to meet you," she held her hand out politely. Mickey gave her a wider grin, and grabbed her hand – only he didn't just shake it; he yanked her forward. In her alcohol-fuelled state, she fell towards him, and he caught her around the waist, and pressed his face forward, catching her lips in a swift, sudden kiss.

Caroline was shocked, but didn't try to pull away. Her combination of drunkenness and irritation with Klaus made it easy to succumb to the affections of a new man – especially a man who had listened to her ramble and rave for the last several hours. So she wound her arms around his neck, taking in his beer and stale aftershave smell, and feeling the stubble on his neck against her bare arms. He was rough, and common, and she couldn't understand hardly anything you said. He wasn't like anyone that Caroline had ever been with – she generally preferred to be around typically good looking, muscly men. But it didn't really matter at this present time – he had been nice to her, and that was all that mattered.

"Caroline?" a sharp voice broke her out of her trance. She snapped her eyes open, and pulled her face away. She ought to have been surprised, but she really wasn't. She had been expecting his arrival all night.

"Klaus," she muttered, covering her mouth and turning her head away from him. Mickey was grinning up at Klaus with Caroline's lipstick around his mouth, and his hands clutching her waist.

"You're the famous Klaus, huh?" he asked. "Pleasure to meet ya."

Caroline almost choked with laughter at Mickey's sarcastic attempt at greeting Klaus. When she peered back up at him, he had barely spared Mickey a glance. His glare was fixated on Caroline. "Let's go," he muttered stiffly.

Caroline pried herself out of Mickey's grasp. She was beginning to feel a little stupid. Sure, Klaus had been sulky - but he had been jet-lagged, and she had neglected to speak to him for the entire plane journey, so he was bound to be grumpy when they arrived in Amsterdam. Caroline had bounced straight out of the hotel room the minute they arrived, and now he had caught her making out with a man she'd known less than three hours.

He was bound to be irritable now. Caroline groaned inwardly as she sidestepped away from Mickey, and stood beside Klaus. She had ruined the whole holiday. "It was nice to meet you, Mickey," she mumbled, looking at the floor.

Mickey stood up from his stool with his arms outstretched, and pulled Caroline into a tight hug, staring mischievously over her shoulder at Klaus. Klaus pursed his lips and tapped his foot, and Mickey seemed to get the message. He stepped back from Caroline, but continued to watch Klaus. "Say, I don't like how you're looking at the lady," he told Klaus, and cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Klaus cocked an eyebrow sharply. "I don't think it's any of your business. Caroline, love?" Caroline nodded, and gave Mickey one last apologetic look, before following Klaus out of the sleazy bar. She discovered that he had a cab outside, and he opened the door, letting Caroline slide in. He climbed in beside her, and the cab drove off instantly.

They rode in silence for the first ten minutes, and then Caroline braved a glance at Klaus. Her guilt of her actions was slicing through her drunkenness, so she was beginning to feel slightly sober. "You're angry with me," she commented quietly.

"Yes," Klaus agreed. "And no."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm angry with you. You stormed out of the hotel room and I later caught you snogging some gypsy bloke in a sex club," Klaus replied. "But I'm not completely angry with you. I was worried about you, Caroline."

"Worried about me…but why?"

Klaus shot her a pointed look. "I care about you," he answered quietly.

"You care about me?" Caroline was stunned.

"Will you stop repeating everything I say?" snapped Klaus angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. Caroline noticed that he had changed his clothes since earlier, and was cleanly shaven. "Of course I care about you! I care…for you. So that's why I'm angry! You could have been _kidnapped _by that bloke."

"Klaus," Caroline started. "I'm really sorry. I was just…excited to be in a new country; I've never _been _to Europe before. I'm sorry I had loads of sleep and I was energetic…and I'm sorry I got sucked into that guy. He was just really charming and nice and…I'm sorry," Caroline gasped in one breath. She looked at him hopefully. "Have I ruined the whole holiday?"

Klaus looked over at her, and his face cracked into a small smile. "It's forgotten," he finalised.

"Honestly, I didn't mean for any of it to—"

"—it's forgotten," Klaus repeated, a little more hostile than before. The taxi pulled over, and he and Caroline climbed out. When they reached their hotel room, Klaus wandered straight into the bathroom, leaving Caroline in the room alone.

She heard water running, so assumed that Klaus was taking a shower. She took a seat at the dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. Her lipstick was smeared around her mouth and her bottom lip looked slightly bruised from the force of the kiss. After rubbing the worst of the lipstick off, Caroline proceeded to brush out her hair.

"Caroline, come in here a second," Klaus called from the bathroom. She stood up and walked to the closed door.

"What is it?" she called through the door.

"Come _in_," he insisted. Caroline rolled her eyes, and shoved the door open – and tried not to splutter with laughter at the sight that preceded her. Klaus was in the large, oval-shaped tub, up to his neck in bubbles. The lights were off, and there were a dozen candles scattered around the bathroom. Caroline snickered, thankful that the bubbles were protecting his modesty.

"You called me in so that you could brag about your fancy bath?"

"Climb in with me," Klaus proposed.

Caroline scoffed. "Seriously? I'm not getting in the bath with you."

"Wasting time talking," Klaus replied with a smirk. Caroline rolled her eyes again, but she was smiling a little. She leaned against the door. "Come on, love. We _are _supposed to be on our romantic date."

"As friends," Caroline corrected.

"Well, this can be a friendly bath."

"I'm not getting undressed in front of you!"

Klaus raised a brow, but he gave her a long, up-and-down look. "Really, love. It's nothing I haven't already seen."

Caroline flushed, but turned her back to him. "Close your eyes," she muttered, looking over her shoulder at him. Klaus obliged, and shut his eyes automatically. She turned back to the wall, and started pulling her tight-fitting dress over her head.

Klaus's eyes cracked open as soon as Caroline's back was turned, and he watched her as she struggled with the too-tight dress. He drank in her mass of pale limbs, her soft buttocks and the curve of her breast, the way her long hair tumbled over her shoulder blades when it escaped the neck of her dress. He took a shallow breath, and closed his eyes a fraction of a second before she turned back to face him.

She scurried over to the side of the bathtub, and dropped inside, submerging herself protectively underneath the bubbles quickly. The water was blissfully hot; instantly soothing the muscles she wasn't aware ached. The candles smelled flowery, and the dim light from them made her feel a lot more self-confident. Feeling wonderfully comfortable, she found herself leaning back against Klaus.

As soon as the back of her head touched his chest she jolted away, sloshing water over the side of the tub. "Sorry," she apologised quickly, sitting up straight and hugging her arms around her body. Klaus smiled at her back, and then reached out with his hand, caressing the back of her neck softly. She flinched initially at the contact, but soon leaned into his touch, like a cat being stroked. Slowly, Klaus pressed his free hand to her shoulder, and pulled her back down, so that she was leaning against him.

He let his hand creep across her front and his fingers brush her chest softly in an up and down motion between her breasts. She arched her back slightly, and her hair tickled his face, giving him an idea. Trying not to disturb her too much, Klaus reached for an empty plastic jug that was on the side of the bath. He dunked it under the bathwater, and slowly poured the water over Caroline's head.

Once her hair was damp, he took one of the complimentary shampoo bottles that was displayed, and poured a generous amount onto his palm. Carefully, he began to massage the shampoo into Caroline's scalp. "I used to have to wash Rebekah's hair when we were children," Klaus explained. "Secretly I enjoyed it. She had lovely long hair, and I enjoyed combing it out and braiding it afterwards," Klaus replenished the jug with water after he had finished shampooing her hair, and began to wash the soap out. She remained so quiet for the entire procedure, that he almost thought she'd fallen asleep – until she spoke.

"Are you still angry with me?" she asked quietly.

"Not even a little," Klaus replied softly. He was smoothing Caroline's wet hair into a braid, and curling it over her shoulder, exposing the side of her neck. She seemed to be arching into him, pressing closer than was comfortable. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he bent his head into the expanse of her neck, and began pressing delicate, sparse kisses across hr pale skin. A small whimper escaped her throat, and she rolled her head back against his chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked him in a breathy voice, her eyes closed.

"This?" Klaus answered, applying more pressure to his kisses.

"Mmhmm," Caroline murmured in response. "We're just friends, remember," she continued. She sat up and turned around in the bath so she was facing him.

"I wonder if we are sometimes more than friends," he replied with a smirk. "Do friends do this?" he took her face in his hands, and pulled her forward, kissing her softly. She tried to gently push him back, but he caught her wrists and tailed his kisses down her throat. "Or this…?" he reached her breasts and caught her nipple between his teeth, teasing it gently. She gasped slightly, and Klaus released her hands.

He sat up again and pulled her so that she was lying on top of him, with her wet braided hair hanging down in his face. This time it was Caroline who bent down and kissed him, while Klaus began caressing her entire body with his palms. She still felt bad for her behaviour earlier in the day, and right now, while she was still a little bit drunk, she wanted to clear the air. In the only way that seemed necessary, right at that moment. She moved down his body slowly, until her head was vanishing under the bubbles.

It was Klaus's turn to gasp involuntarily when Caroline wrapped her mouth around him. He leaned back in the bath while she gave three long, sensual strokes with her mouth before emerging back up for air. Nearly all of the bubbles were gone with the pair of them moving around so much in the water, and the sight of Caroline climbing back up to faced him, her beautiful body slick with water, made Klaus want her desperately.

He sat up a little, and pulled her onto him so that she was straddling his waist. The water made everything just a little too easy, and it didn't take long for Klaus to position himself against her entrance, before sliding himself inside her quickly.

They both groaned in unison as Klaus buried himself inside her to the hilt, reaching around with both of his hands and clutching her buttocks. Caroline whined as he rocked her backwards and forwards, and nuzzled into her neck, sucking delicately on the sensitive skin there.

Caroline felt amazing as Klaus continued to roll his hips into her in just the right way, alternating speeds until she was almost at the brink of release, and then he would slow down again teasingly. She gripped handfuls of his wavy hair and pressed her chest against his furiously, tipping her head back in euphoria.

Within a few minutes, Klaus was speeding up his ministrations again, but not in a taunting way this time. His jaw was slack, and he was staring at Caroline's face with narrow lidded eyes, refusing to look away from her. He froze suddenly, digging his nails into the flesh of her buttocks. "Caro…line…" he gasped, pouring himself into her.

* * *

An hour later, and the sun was starting to come up. Caroline was standing on the balcony in her pyjamas, wondering whether there was any point in going to sleep. Klaus, on the other hand, had dried and fallen into bed the minute they had climbed out of the bath.

She stared determinedly out at the sunrise as it grew over the tops of the buildings. She had assured both herself and Klaus, as soon as she had stepped out of the bath that they weren't going to have sex again. They had made the mistake in the Hamptons, and now it had happened again – already, just a few hours into their holiday. But she supposed, as with the Hamptons: what happened on tour, stayed on tour.

She was trying not to laugh to herself, when she spotted someone emerging from the doors of the reception below. The person looked familiar; with a leather hat, long, light brown hair and wearing a shirt over a pair of blue jeans. He seemed to realise that someone was staring at him, and he turned around, looking upwards. His crinkled eyes made contact with Caroline's, and he grinned, sticking out his tongue, before he rushed off to the cab that was waiting at the side of the road.

It was Mickey, the man with the strange accent from the sex club. Caroline gave him a half-hearted wave as he climbed into his taxi, wondering what on earth he was doing _here_. She remembered vaguely telling him which hotel they were staying at, but she didn't think he was actually paying attention. A dull knock on the hotel room door yanked her out of her thoughts.

Klaus remained asleep, naturally so, having not slept since before they climbed aboard the plane to Amsterdam, so Caroline hopped over to the door quickly, and answered it. The Dutch receptionist was standing there, immaculately dressed in her sharp white uniform.

"A gentleman left this for Caroline Forbes," she drawled in her heavy accent. She handed Caroline nothing more than a small rectangular card, with a cell phone number scribbled on it. The receptionist flounced away immediately, leaving Caroline standing in the doorway, looking at the card in confusion.

Underneath the number read nothing but two words and an initial – _Call me, - M_.

At that moment, Klaus murmured in his sleep. Without really thinking properly, Caroline did the first thing she thought of – she buried the cell number to the bottom of her make up bag, where she was sure Klaus wouldn't find it.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next day in Amsterdam was pleasant, to say the least. Caroline and Klaus woke up well rested at a reasonable time, and due to the nature of their bath the night before, Klaus was in an extremely good more. Caroline had planned to mention that Mickey had appeared at the hotel shortly after he had fallen asleep, but she didn't want to ruin his mood.

She put it to the back of her mind—she was surely never going to see the man again. In a few days, she would be going back to New York, and he would be just a distant, embarrassing memory.

As she got ready in the morning, she noticed the tiny scrap of paper amongst her eyeliners. Klaus was in the shower, so she dug it out quickly and ripped it into shreds. Before Klaus could come back, she ran over to the window and threw the remains of the paper outside. She didn't want the reminder amongst her personal things, especially now that things were going so well with Klaus.

She had expected awkwardness between them again, as this was the aftermath of the second time they had slept together, but none was present. Klaus had woken up bright and early, and had been quick to make sure Caroline was up too. She had assumed they would be eating the continental hotel breakfast, but Klaus had whisked her out of the hotel and into the city.

Amsterdam during the day was completely different to what she had seen at night. It was strange—even though she had set foot on the same path just several hours before, Caroline felt like she was in a completely different place. The glowing, neon lights that screamed sex were gone, replaced by the weak Europe sun, which made everything look clean and bright. She could hardly believe that this was a city plagued by prostitution and any overly sexual nightlife.

They had an enjoyable fruity breakfast together, with a lot of French toast and eggs, but not a pancake in sight. Caroline's stomach was feeling a little woozy from the night before and she didn't have much of an appetite, but Klaus didn't allow her to pick at her food. "We've got a long day ahead of us, love," he told her, nudging her plate. "Finish your food."

And a long day did it turn out to be. In a way, Caroline admired Klaus for truly rinsing the date that he had paid for—at least his fifty thousand dollars were being put to use. A car had been brought to the hotel for him to use, and he drove them all over the city, meaning that they didn't have to rely on taxis or coaches. Before lunch, they went to an open air theatre and watched a play. After snacking again, Klaus drove them to the Museum District, and Caroline had never been more awed in her life.

Art had never been something she had truly admired before, and she had always been bored by the Mystic Falls History Museum, but perhaps that was because she knew everything about Mystic Falls. Here, she was admiring the contemporary art, feeling shocked and appalled during their visit to Anne Frank's attic, and wowed by her favourite—the Van Gogh museum. Klaus purchased them tickets into all of these places and followed Caroline around as she gasped and made brief comments about the art. Finally, as they were standing in front of the beautiful Almond Blossom piece, Caroline turned to Klaus, her face glowing.

"Aren't you looking at the art?" she asked him, and he smiled at the excitement in her eyes. She had told him previously that she hadn't much been out of Mystic Falls before, and since coming to New York, money hadn't come easy to her. Her first holiday had been the visit to the Hamptons; not true sightseeing, something Klaus adored to do.

"There's plenty of art in the world, love," Klaus replied. "But I'm only interested in looking at you." He grinned as she flushed and turned back to the painting.

It was late afternoon by the time they finished wandering around the museums, and time for Klaus to give her the last treat of the day. He took them to an area of the canal, where a small red canal boat sat on the river, with a table and two chairs sitting on top. Fairy lights adorned the table and the roof and windows of the boat, making it stand out against the hazy, darkening afternoon.

"Klaus," Caroline whispered. "It's beautiful."

A Dutch man stepped out of the boat and gestured for Klaus and Caroline to step on. Klaus did so first, holding out his hand to help Caroline up, and they both took their seats at the table. The Dutch man murmured something to Klaus in his language, and Klaus nodded. A few minutes later, the Dutch man was presenting them with champagne, pouring it into tall glasses, before bowing out and returning to the inside of the boat.

As it lurched into steady movement, Caroline shrieked. "Will we fall off?" she gasped, clutching the rungs of her chair. She was becoming increasingly aware that the railings around the top of the canal boat were very, very low—it would be only too easy to slip and tumble straight into the water. Klaus laughed into his champagne.

"Of course not," he replied. "The boat will go no slower than this. Just relax."

So, relax she did. She found that it was remarkably easy to talk to Klaus—he had set up a wonderful day for them, and it had not yet been ruined by anything. In fact, Caroline had to resist the urge to pinch herself—she was sure that something was _bound _to go wrong.

But it hadn't, and she wasn't about to ruin it by bringing up their heated love-making session the night before. Klaus was talking animatedly; chatting about work, about work events, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah. Caroline found herself initially tuning out at Rebekah's name, but she became interested when he spoke about Kol. She personally hadn't spoken to Kol since he had embarrassed her at his mother's Charity Gala by bringing another date and basically making her look a fool. It turned out that Elijah had finally given up on Kol, after catching him up to no good.

"Elijah caught him in the Hamptons," Klaus told her. "He had sneaked into Elijah's home with the tramp he had brought with him to the Gala. Apparently, he didn't expect Elijah to be home so early—which is odd, considering how much of a fun sponge my older brother is. He was raiding Elijah's house, looking for money, apparently. He confessed as soon as Elijah walked in and found him snorting cocaine off the girl's back, and all of Elijah's suits were strewn around the house."

Caroline was appalled. "I'm really sorry to hear that, Klaus."

Klaus shrugged. "I've always known Kol was going to turn out in such a way. That's why I don't like you hanging around him. He's always been a terrible influence on anyone he meets. It's Elijah who is really upset—he tries to see the best in everyone, and he really wanted Kol to flourish."

"So, he's sacked?"

"He's sacked."

Caroline couldn't help but feel relieved. Even though she and Klaus had their own area of the office nowadays, Kol was still always present. Being the little brother of the chairmen of the company meant that he had many perks, including venturing into Klaus's office at his own will, something that the other employees would never do. He was always looking to find Caroline alone, so that he could distract her from her work (and possibly irritate Klaus in the process).

"You seem quite pleased about that," Caroline added cheekily, noticing the brightness in Klaus's eyes.

"Of course I am. You know how much my little brother annoys me. Though, it does mean that Elijah will probably look for another assistant."

Caroline drained her glass of champagne. "Don't I assist him enough?" she chuckled, feigning offence. In reality, it would be better for her if Elijah did get his own personal assistant, because her workload would be taken down a notch.

The afternoon soon melted into the evening, and by the time they returned to dry land, Caroline was surprised that at least one of them hadn't toppled over the side of the boat. As they stood by the side of the canal, Klaus removed his jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders, before Caroline could protest.

"Thanks for the great day," she told him quickly, clutching the lapels of his jacket around her. The evening had brought with it a coolness. It seemed that summer evenings in Europe didn't get as warm as they often did in America.

"Are you glad you agreed to come out to Amsterdam with me, now?" Klaus smirked.

"I didn't really agree," countered Caroline, cocking an eyebrow. "But...yes, I suppose I am."

"Good," Klaus replied. "Now, we're going to head back to the hotel and have a wash and a change, and then we're going out for dinner."

Caroline didn't say anything as they walked back to the hotel. She felt, for the first time in a while, rather happy. She wasn't confused by Klaus, even though they were yet to discuss the previous night, and her argument with Elena was as far away as New York. She had planned to at least send Elena a text message once she arrived in Amsterdam, but after realising that her best friend hadn't bothered to try and contact her, Caroline had stubbornly decided she wouldn't be the one to text first.

Plus, after such a good day, she didn't want to become irritated by a problem that was back in the States.

* * *

Caroline was waiting in the foyer of the hotel for Klaus. He had told her to wait downstairs, as he wanted to make a call to Elijah beforehand, and she had agreed. They were, after all, on (yet another) holiday, and she didn't really want to think about work. So, she stood by the reception in her smart evening attire, patiently waiting.

"Hey, sweetness," a familiar, accented voice alerted her. She looked up, spotting the cheeky, grinning face of Mickey—the Traveller from the night before. She gasped—she had almost forgotten about his existence. "You're looking delicious. Going out?" His eyes travelled up and down the length of her body, and she pressed her lips together tightly.

"You should go," she muttered, glancing at the receptionist—Arabella, the woman whom Klaus said he knew through his family. She was giving Mickey a disgusted look, like she had never seen someone so filthy step in her hotel before. Whilst he wasn't generally _dirty_, Caroline had to admit that he was a lot less good looking than he had been whilst she was drunk. His teeth were a little too crooked, his hair greasy, and his clothes were shabby. She didn't like the way he was looking at her either, like he was a hungry dog and she was a juicy steak. "I'm going out to dinner."

Mickey nodded. "With the boyfriend, right?"

Caroline's lips grew even tighter, but she didn't correct him. "Please leave."

"I thought you would've called me," Mickey continued, ignoring her demand. "Don't you wanna have some fun, again?"

"No!" Caroline hissed, turning around to glare at him. Arabella looked up from her guestbook, giving Caroline an unamused stare, and Caroline rolled her eyes. She grabbed Mickey by the arm and marched him over to the doorway, leading him outside. "Look, I just want to forget about last night, okay?" she told him, once they were out of the hotel and away from Arabella. "I don't know you, I don't _want _to know you."

"Feisty," Mickey replied. Suddenly, Caroline noticed that something had shifted in his accent. The humorous, Irish tone was gone—he wasn't European, he was _American_. Maybe even a New York national. "But this isn't about you, actually. It's about Kol."

Panic flared within Caroline. "What about Kol? And...what's happened to your voice?"

"Never mind that, sweet," he continued. She looked up behind Mickey, and noticed that there was a blue transit van sitting in front of the hotel. She hadn't paid much attention to it before—vans were always parked outside hotels, making deliveries and such. But suddenly it worried her—a man sitting in the driver's seat was looking at her with a devious smirk and dark, glimmering eyes. Before Caroline could make a dash back inside the hotel, Mickey had grabbed her around the waist and thrown her over his shoulder.

"Put me down right now!" she screamed, beating her fists on his back and dropping her handbag in the process. "Klaus!"

"Caroline?" a voice boomed from inside the foyer of the hotel. As Caroline was being thrown into the back of the van, she spotted Klaus exiting the hotel—but he was too late. Mickey had already jumped into the back with her, pulled shut the doors, and the driver was speeding away from the hotel.

* * *

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